What are the JavaScript frameworks employers are looking for?

Which frameworks should you be learning?

Without doubts, JavaScript is one of the most popular programming languages in the world. It has been the most used programming language since 2012 according to Stack Overflow’s Annual Survey of 2018. 

69.8% of Stack Overflow’s respondent-developers use JavaScript. It is also the most popular programming language with the highest number of opened pull requests (an indicator of the amount of code being written) on GitHub. 

Chart 1: 15 most popular programming, scripting, and mark-up Languages according to 2018 Stack Overflow’s Annual Survey

But why is it so popular?

There are many reasons, but mostly because its compatibility with both front-end and back-end programming. Besides that, Javascript is considered a cost-effective solution by many developers as it reduces cost due to open source frameworks being free to use. It also reduces the workload for developers as the package has reusable resources available. Last but not least, developers compile and test the framework continuously, which helps to enhance performance.

Because of their popularity, JavaScript frameworks are developing at a really fast pace. More popular frameworks like React and Angular consistently launch updated versions. In addition to them, there are two new popular frameworks in the market: Vue and Ember.

With so many options, developers constantly face themselves with the question: “Which framework should I learn?”

The question is not that easy to answer. We would have to consider the pros and cons of each library and the number of roles that require knowledge of a specific framework. As a recruiter, I will focus on the last topic.

We analysed a number of positions in Sydney that require a specific knowledge of one the above-mentioned frameworks (React, Angular, Vue and Ember). As a source, we used all the roles we worked on in 2017 and 2018 and got the following distribution:

Chart 2: % of jobs that require knowledge of a specific frameworks.

Our analysis proved our guessing was right. Among all the JavaScript Frameworks React is definitely the most popular (69%) followed by Angular (27%). Vue and Amber represent only 2% each of our clients’ requests. However, before generalizing and saying they are not popular, it is important to consider the fact that both Vue and Ember were not part of our clients’ requirements until May 2018. Which means these frameworks might be getting more popular. Also, this is a picture from the Sydney Market. The demands might be different in other cities and countries.

As pointed out before, your choice of learning a specific framework will depend on a lot of technical aspects. However, if you are considering learning one of them for your career development, React is definitely the best choice at the moment. Vue and Ember are also growing in popularity.

Reach out If you are keen to have a more detailed chat about the Sydney Market for JavaScript developers :)