The Quantum Technology Industry Is Creating Entirely New Jobs

(Discover) Industry needs people with powerful quantum skill sets, and that this is leading to new combinations of talents and entirely new jobs.
That raises an important question—just what skills are in demand? Universities and education providers desperately need to know more about the quantum industry’s requirements so they can begin training the next generation of workers.
Recently, Ciaran Hughes at FermiLab in Batavia, Illinois and colleagues, surveyed 57 companies involved in the incipient quantum industry to find out what kinds of skills they are looking for and those that are most in demand. The results offer some surprises.

Quantum Job Titles
The most eye-catching outcome from the survey is that the quantum industry has created entirely new types of job. One in-demand position is for error correction scientists.
The job most in demand is for quantum algorithm developers, with more than 20 companies looking to hire one in the near future. These are quantum coders, people who design and create the software that quantum computers run on.
One of the most significant findings from the survey is that the quantum industry needs plenty of people with conventional skills too: data scientists, software programmers, system architects, sales and marketing people and so on.
workers in the quantum industry will not all need PhDs in quantum-related subjects. Instead, employees will come with a range of education levels from bachelor’s degrees through to masters and beyond.
Hughes and colleagues make one final point worth bearing in mind. They say that the quantum industry is still young and based on science that is still far from being completely understood. So things might change quickly in the future.