The word "blockchain" has gained cult status, being on a par with terms such as "artificial intelligence" - technologies that promise to change the world. The fact is that the blockchain powers cryptocurrencies such as, for example, bitcoin - in fact, it is a decentralized software used for the safe and fast exchange of information. Every day more and more new companies announce their blockchain projects. But which cities are the best places to look for work for those who want to develop in this area?
Boston-based analyst firm Burning Glass has conducted research and ranked the best cities to find blockchain-related jobs. The company analyzed the millions of jobs posted online in 2017, using words such as blockchain, distributed ledger and bitcoin as key parameters, and applied natural language processing algorithms to interpret listings and generate rankings.
New York ranked first with 1316 vacancies. Stephen Robinson, founder of blockchain IT consultancy East Rock Software and website cryptocurrencyjobs.com, was not surprised by this result. “New York is the financial center of the world and is very well versed in the needs of this technology,” he says. "Blockchain is a potential way to streamline many financial processes."
According to research by Burning Glass, most of the vacancies in this area have a technical focus - for example, a software developer or a security engineer.
San Francisco ranks second in blockchain vacancies with an 651 offer. Also, Boston, Chicago and Palo Alto are in the top five: in each of the cities for 2017, the number of vacancies from 100 to 200 was published.
Burning Glass's software algorithm could track vacancies published only in English, so it did not analyze offers in crypto-hub countries such as Switzerland or South Korea. But outside of the United States, a large number of vacancies were also found in London (423), Singapore (357), Toronto (149) and Sydney (97).
Many of these positions have been taken at large companies using blockchain technology to improve efficiency and customer service. Even consulting giants such as Accenture, IBM and Deloitte are hiring blockchain specialists to integrate and develop technology into their manufacturing processes. Their responsibilities may include working with open blockchains, such as the recently announced Bitcoin-Microsoft, or creating private distributed ledgers that are only accessible to certain people.
For anyone interested in working with Ethereum, the second largest digital asset in market value, Steven Robinson recommends learning the Solidity programming language - it allows developers to create applications based on Ethereum technologies in the same way that, for example, iPhone application developers “embed” their iPhone software projects. Robinson believes there will be many vacancies in this segment in the near future.
Core Development is another blockchain specialization. Most developers write their programming codes on the cryptocurrency platforms themselves, such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and EOS.IO. However, Robinson says there will be less room for development in this niche. Many experts expect crypto to consolidate across a small number of platforms in the long run, so the demand for developers who can build applications on top of the main platforms is likely to be much higher than the demand for specialists who can build the platforms themselves.
Top-15 US cities by the number of vacancies in the field of blockchain technologies
- New York: 1316
- San Francisco: 651
- Boston: 211
- Chicago: 148
- Palo Alto: 132
- Austin: 116
- San Jose: 97
- Atlanta: 82
- Raleigh, North Carolina: 81
- Los Angeles: 72
- Seattle: 68
- Denver: 65
- Washington: 56
- Houston: 55
- Charlotte (North Carolina): 50