With two months to go until GDPR rules come into forces, data protection job vacancies have spiked by a massive 709 percent, according to research from job site Indeed.
Demand for the skills underpinning cryptocurrencies is also on the rise, according to IT Jobs Watch; with roles requiring blockchain expertise up by 348 percent and those requiring Ethereum expertise increasing by 970%.
The General Data Protection Regulation, which comes into force on 25th May, represents the UK’s biggest overhaul of data protection law for two decades. Companies failing to comply can face fines of up to €20 million.
The average data protection officer role is carrying a salary of £47,483 – nearly double the average UK wage of £27,600 – Indeed said.
Interest in the role is growing, albeit not as fast as demand; over the two period since GDPR was ratified, the number of searches for data officer vacancies has risen by 297%.
FinTech, Data job vacancies increase ahead of GDPR
Fintech Jobs Also Surge
If a GDPR-driven sugar rush of demand for data officers may represent a near-term win for job seekers, those with fintech skills also look likely to be in sustained demand.
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Money transfer specialists Xpress Money say jobs requiring fintech skills have risen by 73 percent, year-on-year, over the last six months.
The demand comes as companies look to take advantage of the implementation of the Second Payments Services Directive (PSD2).
As non-traditional financial services companies start to get to grips with PSD2, roles requiring skills in API Development (70 percent), API Integration (107 percent) and API Testing (83 percent) have also seen significant year-on-year increases.
Sudhesh Giriyan, COO of Xpress Money said: “We’re still in the early stages of the PSD2 movement, but it’s set to increase fintech innovation like we’ve never seen before. Encouragingly, this data shows that businesses are starting to adapt and are in search for the skills that will set them apart from the competition.”
