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Jobs that did not exist 10 years ago ​

26/04/17 Laura Preston - CertRP Manager, Contract & Interim

‘Change is the only constant’ - and change has been constant in the engineering and technical recruitment arena throughout the last 10 years, with some jobs advancing, evolving or emerging every day while others fade into extinction. With technology essential to our everyday lives, technology has enabled the creation of tomorrow’s jobs.

If we look back, in 2007, Facebook was in its infancy, Twitter was being launched, and nobody had iPhones. Ten years on, the world is a very different place, and so is the workplace. Jobs exist now that we had never heard of a decade ago.

Laura Preston, R&D / Engineering Contract Consultant at Redline Group takes a look at technical jobs that did not exist 10 years ago and how technology will continue to change the recruitment industry. 

Driverless Car Technology

While driverless cars look set to wipe out the roles of taxi drivers and couriers, they have also created many new jobs. However, driverless cars are not able to mend themselves, therefore engineers, mechanics and software developers who work on vehicles will be increasingly in demand in the not-too-distant future.

Research shows there will be more driverless cars navigating in the major cities in the next few years. This also means the demand for engineers and mechanics who can work on these vehicles will continue to increase.  

Cloud Computing Software Engineering

With the rise of cloud technology and mobile computing, brands are increasing numbers and learning to operate digitally and developing new systems and apps. The software sector is rapidly evolving, likely to produce exciting career opportunities and high salaries for engineers with the advancements of mobile expertise and cyber-security skills.

A decade ago, if a candidate said they currently worked in the ‘cloud’, most recruiters had no idea what they were talking about. This new way of storing, processing and and sharing data is called cloud computing, and it seems to be one of the biggest tech revolutions in the past decade. The term ‘cloud computing’ was first used at a search engine conference, when Eric Schmidt described Google’s approach to software. Now lots of high-profile companies are looking to hire database managers, engineers and strategists who know how to manage and make the most of the data collected.

Cloud technology is crucial to organisations for building out or replacing their data centre architecture. Cloud Computing services are in demand because it makes life easier for organisations and help them save time and money. Even though the skill is considered one of the most in-demand skill, there’s still a major skills gap in the field of Cloud.

An example of cloud software is Software As A Service (SAAS) an alternative way of using software. In the past software would generally be purchased outright and loaded onto a locally owned piece of hardware, SaaS normally refers to a subscription based model where the software is hosted in the cloud and accessed via the internet. There are a number of benefits of this to consumers, whether that is individuals using software for private purposes, or businesses. There has been an increase in SAAS developers, SAAS software developers and system engineers.

Biomedical Engineer

Biomedical engineers analyse and design solutions to problems in biology and medicine, with the goal of improving the quality and effectiveness of patient care. To meet the needs of ageing populations around the world and drive forward rapid innovations in medical technologies, including 3D printing and micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), there will be a surge in demand for biomedical engineers to enter the workforce and advance the field of medicine.

3D Printing Engineer 

In recent years, 3D printing has truly begun to capture the imagination of the masses, as low cost printers for personal use begin to make it possible for hobbyists and aspiring designers to create objects designed using CAD software. The benefits of 3D printing are likely to revolutionise many industries. The automotive and aerospace industries benefit from much shorter lead times than with associated traditional engineering methods such as casting or machining, allowing for much faster development and testing of new components.

Now, specialist 3D print engineers are a hot commodity within the industry, taking product concepts and transforming them into feasible money-spinners, making everything from space food to innovative smartphone cases.

App Designer

The concept of the smartphone and other smart devices has brought a significant wealth of roles in the digital sphere with the App Designer being at the heart of the development of mobile applications. With over one million apps in the marketplace and 75 billion downloads since 2007, app designers have the exciting and creative challenge of building new innovations and updating existing apps. 

App developers tend to split between user experience architects (UAEs) and visual designers and sometime both. Today's app developer would probably have been working as a web developer 10 years ago, building desktop applications, webpages or infrastructure systems.

Machine Learning Engineer


Machine learning is a type of artificial intelligence (AI) that provides computers with the ability to learn without being explicitly programmed. Machine learning focuses on the development of computer programs that can adapt when exposed to new data.

As more companies adopt big data and data science technologies, there is an emerging group of individuals who have strong software engineering skills and are experienced using machine learning and statistical techniques. The need to build data products has given rise to what many are calling “machine learning engineers”, individuals who can work on both data science prototypes and production systems.