‘FAANG’ job listings jumped 42% in 2021, claims GlobalData report
FAANG (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google) job listings jumped by 42% in 2021 with big data and cloud the trending themes, a report from GlobalData finds.
FAANG companies listed over 250,000 jobs in 2021, according to GlobalData, representing a rise of around 44% when compared to 2020.
The data and analytics company’s research reveals that job listings related to ‘big data’ and ‘cloud’ increased by 57% in 2021, when compared to 2020, and jobs related to themes such as ‘digital media’, digitalization’ and ‘mobile’ more than doubled. ‘AI’ and ‘industrial automation’ were other trending themes that witnessed a high number of listings
Says Ajay Kumar Thalluri, Business Fundamentals Analyst at GlobalData:
“Companies need to engage and influence customers through social commerce experiences more than ever, and this likely influenced the high number of listings in areas such as digital media and mobile, which more than doubled in 2021.”
Adds Rupantar Guha, Principal Analyst at GlobalData:
“Digital media and mobile themes witnessed unprecedented growth during the COVID-19 lockdowns, however, things are starting to slow down as the pandemic subsides. Tech giants are striving to retain users—especially the new subscribers added during the pandemic—and generate new content. They are also searching for talent to prepare for the emerging themes such as augmented reality (AR), metaverse, and Web 3.0.”
Looking at specific companies’ activities related to content development, acquisitions, and partnerships, Thalluri notes that Alphabet (Google) listed roles in Ghana in 2021 to help seed and grow operations in the country, while it also facilitated new partnership agreements in Sweden.
Meanwhile, Netflix renewed focus on the South Korea, Thailand, and South-East Asia (SEA) region in 2021. The listings suggest Netflix is expanding its EMEA footprint with local content initiatives in Nordics and Benelux countries. Similarly, Amazon.com, is exploring a content acquisition strategy for Amazon’s Prime Video service in the UK and Nordics.
Meta (Facebook) is exploring verticals beyond gaming and social media in its reach towards the metaverse, developing content categories and ecosystems, as well as creating a marketing strategy for wearables and AR products. Meanwhile, Amazon Web Series is deepening its strategic relationship with Epic Games through metaverse tech.
Guha continues:“The metaverse is an emerging mega-theme and big tech is keen to take early positions in it. Being first movers will help them define the metaverses to refurbish their current offerings and meet tech-savvy consumers’ evolving preferences. The metaverse is still conceptual, meaning early movers have the freedom to build it just as they envision. The companies that do that faster than their peers will set precedence and be the next market leaders. Those taking a wait-and-watch approach will risk losing out in the long run.”
