In 1983, the [world-wide-web] (https://www.usg.edu/galileo/skills/unit07/internet07_02.phtml) was born. It has over 1.58 billion websites with [around 5 billion active daily users] (https://www.internetlivestats.com/). Web application development has changed and continues to evolve rapidly. If you plan to host a website, you must be conscious of the constantly evolving web development trends. Continually updating your website's performance and consumer experience is critical to staying relevant in today's competitive market. Otherwise, you risk falling behind your rivals and losing traffic to websites with superior user experiences. Tracking the latest industry trends is the best way to remain competitive in your business. So let’s look at the industry trends in website development you can expect in 2022.

Job Listings

Web developers are in limited supply across a wide range of industries. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) [forecasts 8% job growth for web developers] (https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/web-developers.htm) between 2019 and 2029, twice the national average for all professions. These IT specialists build and maintain websites for clients. They should be familiar with HTML, JavaScript, and a host of other programming languages. According to the BLS, the computer systems design and publishing industries are web developers' primary sources of employment. However, many website designers and developers work as freelancers. For example, representatives of web development teams typically specialise in User Interface, Front-end development, Back-end development, and maintenance. In addition, collaboration with top management to comprehend their company's web presence goals is a standard job duty. On average, [17,900 job vacancies] (https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/web-developers.htm) for web developers and digital designers are expected each year over the next decade. Many of those open positions are forecast to increase due to the need to replace people who transfer to different occupations or leave the labour force for other reasons, such as retirement. Skills You Should Possess To Be a Web Developer According to a report by the [Economic Research Institute] (https://www.erieri.com/salary/job/web-developer/hong-kong-sar), web developers should have a minimum of five skills down pat. These skills are HTML, CSS, JQuery, PHP, and JSON. Here, we’ll take a look at what these skills entail.

- HTML

The main syntax for showcasing web pages is Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). HTML tags and elements are the foundation of an HTML web page. The elements are composed of a pair of tags (opening and closing tags) and the text-based or illustrations contained within the tags. To put it simply, HTML composes the fundamental building blocks of your webpage and characterises the content you will showcase, such as the text and visuals that appear and in what order.

- CSS

The Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) asset is a styling language utilised to describe the web page's demonstration. The presentation involves both the visual appearance and its formatting. CSS is useful for HTML, XML, and, most notably, D3.js Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG).

- JQuery

jQuery is a JavaScript library. It allows website designers to include more features and sophisticated functionality. It is free and open-source available under the MIT licence. In current history, jQuery has emerged as perhaps the most widely utilised JavaScript library in web development.

- PHP

PHP stands for "PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor," a recursive acronym. It is a scripting language web developers use to create dynamic websites. Combining syntax from the C, Java, and Perl languages, PHP code is embedded within HTML pages for server-side execution. It is commonly used to extract data from a database on the Web server and present it on the web page.

- JSON

JSON is a text-based file format and is a lightweight substitute to XML, extensively utilised to exchange data on the internet. However, JSON is not a JavaScript-only format, and JavaScript commands are used to read and write JSON data.

Job Outlook: Web Developer Demand Across Industries

Web development is among the most popular and rapidly growing industry sectors. Despite the rise of this industry, wages continue to rise too, contrary to convention. As a consequence, there is no scarcity of web developers these days.

While web developers are in high demand, you can be at a disadvantage due to the industry's highly competitive nature. To land the best role, you'll have to learn multiple skills, as well as coding languages, and the latest frameworks and scripting languages to remain relevant in the industry.

On the other hand, web developer job vacancies are forecasted to [grow by 13% from 2018-to 2028] (https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/web-developers.htm). That may not appear to be a large number, but average employment growth throughout all industry sectors is only 5%. IT is a thriving domain in general, with essential computing occupations growing at a rate of 12% throughout the world.

Salary Increment Between Career Levels

Salaries of web developers can also be increased depending on their level of education. An advanced degree provides web developers with the freedom to pursue their passions. They can also master programming languages, digital design, and publishing technologies due to this.

Bootcamps can also help interested learners to turn into full-fledged web developers. They can acquire the technical and professional skills required to pursue a career as a web developer. Coding bootcamps can quickly transform students’ careers by providing extensive, career-oriented training. Bootcamps for upcoming web developers are generally offered online, in person, or with a hybrid approach.

Web developers with an experience range between 15-20 years can expect remuneration of the order of 42,100 HKD per month. This is 9% more than developers with 10-15 years of experience.

Employees with more than 20 years of professional experience get a salary of 45,600 HKD per month, 8% more than those with 15-20 years of experience.

The Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) has established a Cyber Security Career Lifecycle. It covers the various phases of security careers, ranging from those contemplating the profession to retiring. Each career cycle has its pay scale, which is further defined by its role in the process.

Here are some of the titles you may hold within each - and keep in mind that title will determine salary, which will rise as you progress through the ranks:

1. Entry Level

Employees who are just starting and have less than a year’s worth of experience are considered entry-level web developers. They usually hold associate web developer, associate front end developer, or associate full stack developer. Entry-level web developers with less than two years of experience make approximately [16,000 HKD per month] (http://www.salaryexplorer.com/salary-survey.php?loc=97&loctype=1&job=774&jobtype=3).

2. Mid Senior Level

When you get to this stage, you'll probably have found an area of web development or mobile app development that you specialise in and will be commanding more enormous salaries. Possible job roles may include Web Development Specialist, Node.Js Architect, Full Stack Engineer, Web Application Development Lead. Professionals in these roles have between 2-5 years of experience and command a salary that’s 34% more than someone with less than two years’ worth of experience, with their wages reaching [21,400 HKD per month] (http://www.salaryexplorer.com/salary-survey.php?loc=97&loctype=1&job=774&jobtype=3).

3. Senior Level

When you reach this level, you'll likely have been in the field of web development for more than five years and will have graduated to C-level roles. Professionals in this seniority bracket hold between five to ten years’ worth of work experience and command a 48% increase over the salaries of someone from the mid-senior level bracket, with their wages reaching as much as [31,700 HKD per month] (http://www.salaryexplorer.com/salary-survey.php?loc=97&loctype=1&job=774&jobtype=3). Possible job roles include Application Designer, Software Development Director, Senior UX Interaction Designer, Senior Architect, etc.

Final Thoughts

If you want to make a career in web development and want to learn more about jobs in the industry, here are a few openings to give you an idea about the prevalent outlook of the job market:

- Web Developer for E-Commerce Platforms

- Test Automation Engineer/Lead

- Product Development Manager

- Full Stack Web Developer

As the demand for skilled web developers surges to an all-time high post the pandemic, so does the remuneration offered to skilled intellectual talent. With industry bigwigs like Hong Kong Broadband Network, HYPE Limited, Animoca, Nixplay, among others, joining the fray to recruit the best talent fresh off the block, the average salaries for web developers has shot up to HKD 248,000 – 365,000 per annum, [as per Payscale] (https://www.payscale.com/research/HK/Job=Web_Developer/Salary/9b8a5a6b/Hong-Kong). While these jobs and figures are just an indication of the web development industry’s present scenario, should you wish to gain a better handle on know more about job profiles, openings, duties, and salaries, you can go through our [career guide] (https://xccelerate.co/en/blog/2021-career-guide-software-engineering-in-hong-kong/) or visit our [job ticker] (https://jobs.xccelerate.co/) to gain a better handle on the same.