In 2021-2023 there was a significant increase in the indicator of IT specialists
Photo: Valery ZVONAREV. Go to Photobank KP
As the times go, so do the professions. Sociologists who study the prestige of various specialties in different periods can say this with confidence. The latest ranking was published yesterday by the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM): it turned out that today there are two professions at the top: specialists in the field of information technology and doctors. They accounted for 32% of the respondents’ responses. In total, analysts surveyed 1,600 people. Moreover, the leaders have not changed for two years. But if we compare these indicators with those of 2009, they differ greatly. At that time, only 6% “voted” for IT specialists and 12% for doctors. In first and second place were lawyers (20%) and economists (19%). Indeed, in those years the competition for admission to law and economics universities was frankly off the charts. Applicants and their parents were sure that this was a very prestigious place.
Returning to our time, analysts note that in 2021-2023 there was a significant increase in the indicator of IT specialists – from 16% to 31%. The pandemic and sanctions played a role.
In second place in terms of prestige are the military, security forces and manual professions. Everything is clear with the first two. As for applied professions, it seems that the time is not far off when working in a factory as a welder, lathe operator or mechanic will once again be highly prestigious. The top five is completed by engineers (11%) and lawyers (9%). See “Specifically” for more details.
– The changes are associated with the transformation of the economy and the needs of society. In the 1990s and 2000s, economists and lawyers were in high demand in the context of the emergence of a market economy and a legal system, explains employment and career expert Harry Muradyan. – Now technology and healthcare have become key sectors of development, which explains the growth in prestige and profitability of IT specialists and doctors. Accelerated digitalization, especially during the pandemic years, has shown that IT specialists provide basic processes in any industry. Doctors have also managed to draw attention to their role in society.
FOUR REASONS
Yakov Yakubovich, a leading expert at the Institute of Fundamental Problems of Social and Humanitarian Sciences of the National Research Nuclear University (MEPhI), named four reasons for the change in the vector of professional prestige.
Firstly, in the conditions of a post-industrial economy, the most popular and valuable goods are innovations, technologies and educational services.
“The knowledge economy has replaced the service economy that was characteristic of the beginning of the century,” he said. – Hence the growing interest in engineering professions, as well as professions related to the social sphere: doctors, teachers, social workers.
The second reason is the high demand for this type of profession in the labour market, as well as government support measures for the development and retention of staff in the IT sector.
The third reason is a change in general approaches to management. Whereas before a manager only directed, today he is an operator of several machines who must be able not only to “direct” but also to work with his hands.
The fourth reason is the growing influence of artificial intelligence. Although 20 or 30 years ago it was just a mathematical model, today it has penetrated our lives for a long time: text, voice, face recognition, biometric data, transport management, all kinds of chatbots, etc.
AND THE MONEY?
However, prestige is prestige and income is also important. And in this regard, it turned out that the ideas of Russians do not always coincide. True, the leader of the “hit parade” is the same – an IT specialist. This is not only cool, but also monetary. Every third respondent thinks so. By the way, over the past 15 years, the IT sector has been considered 10 times more profitable. In second place again are doctors, followed by law enforcement (14% each). Almost every tenth person is convinced that businessmen, economists, politicians and oil workers earn a lot of money.
“IT specialists really occupy the top positions in terms of profitability, as their work is highly valued both in the public and private sectors,” confirms Harry Muradyan. – As for medicine, although it is considered a prestigious profession, it is difficult to call it the highest paid, especially when comparing private medical practices and government institutions. Doctors’ earnings can vary greatly and often do not correlate with the level of social significance of their work.
“During the Covid period, doctors in the red zone received high additional payments, and officials around the world have repeatedly stated that Covid forced them to reconsider their approaches to healthcare,” Yakov Yakubovich recalled. – Of course, this also became the reason for the increased interest in the medical profession, which on the one hand is very well paid and promising, and on the other hand is associated with service to society.
WHAT AWAITS US?
Human resources expert Harry Muradyan believes that in the future, prestige will belong to professions related to digital technologies, environmental innovation and biotechnology.
“Specialists in the field of artificial intelligence, developers of complex software systems, data analysts,” he listed. – Given global challenges such as climate change, environmental degradation and population ageing, we can expect an increase in demand for ecologists, bioengineers and medical specialists of the new generation.
In terms of profitability, according to sociologist Yakov Yakubovich, the highest-paid professions in the next 10-15 years will continue to be those related to innovation, technology (including information technology and artificial intelligence) and education.
“Professions related to routine operations (cashiers, accountants, document managers) will practically disappear from the labour market,” the expert suggested. – One of the most important interpersonal skills will be the ability to quickly understand the problem and adapt to the needs of the client; the importance of a people-centred approach in professional activities will increase. And the value (and therefore high salaries) of professions related to working with people, i.e. the social sphere, will remain.
