HackerRank 2020 Developer Skills Report PDF

2020
HackerRank
Developer
Skills Report
Insights based on 116,648 developers
I N D E X
I N T R O
INTRO
At HackerRank, we have over 7 million developers in our community. To understand the state of developer skills in 2020, we’re launching our third annual
That’s over 25% of the world’s developers who are using HackerRank Developer Skills Report: the largest survey of its kind ever released. We asked for
to level up their coding skills. input on coding bootcamps, pay equity, and more—and over 116,000 developers
L E A R N I N G
from 162 countries responded. The data provides unparalleled insight into what
We’re fortunate to play a part in expanding and growing the developer employers and employees know, what they’re looking for in their work, and how
community during this time of rapid change. Our mission at HackerRank they see their roles evolving as technology sweeps across industries of all sizes.
is to help accelerate the world’s innovation as more and more
companies shift to tech-focused approaches to running and building I hope you enjoy our findings. Please feel free to tweet us @hackerrank
their businesses. Since 2010, 22 newcomers have entered the Fortune or email us at research@hackerrank.com with comments or questions.
100—a seismic shift—driven largely by technical innovation. Since that
time, tech-first giants like Amazon, Google, and Facebook have joined
the list, and they’re not slowing down.
S K I L L S
Vivek Ravisankar
Co-founder & CEO
As companies evolve to embed tech into the heart of their products,
HackerRank
the need for skilled talent is growing exponentially. To meet that
demand, companies will have to become experts in developer hiring—
not by relying on developers’ pedigrees or resumes, but by objectively
evaluating their skills and placing them strategically throughout the
T O O L S
organizations they work for.

W O R K
2020 HackerRank Developer Skills Report | P.02

I N D E X
INDEX
TOOLS
I N T R O
2020’s most widely known languages P.12
2020’s most widely known frameworks P.13
Languages developers want to learn P.14
INTRO P.02 Languages developers know vs. average salary P.15

L E A R N I N G
Frameworks developers want to learn P.16
LEARNING Frameworks developers know vs. average salary P.17
The first language developers learned to code in P.04
How developers learn new coding skills P.05 WORK

Are managers hiring bootcamp grads? P.06 Developer salaries across the world P.18
Developer salaries in the US

S K I L L S
Hiring managers’ opinions on bootcamp grad skills P.07 P.19
Developer education level vs. employer company size P.08 Developers on pay equity P.20
The most important form of professional growth P.21
SKILLS The role developers want to have in 3 years P.22
2020’s most in-demand talent pool P.09 How developers spend their downtime P.23
T O O L S
Roles required to learn new skills most often P.10
Languages hiring managers are looking for P.11 METHODOLOGY P.24

W O R K

I N D E X
LEARNING & EDUCATION
For learning to code,

I N T R O
What was the first language you learned to code in?
C is overtaking BASIC
45.3%
39.5%
L E A R N I N G
Under the age of 39? Odds are that most of your peers learned
to code in C.
32.9%
30.5%
Most Baby Boomers and Gen Xers—or, those between the ages
of 40 and 74 in 2020—learned to code in BASIC. Developed for
educational use in 1964, BASIC was a popular instructional
language in college classrooms.
16.0%
14.5%
14.1%
But that began to change in 1972, when Bell Labs invented C,
13.5%
S K I L L S
12.6%
10.7%
allowing portability of the Unix operating system. Though it wasn’t
an instant hit, the language rose to popularity in the late 70s
8.3%
8.1%
7.1%
7.1%
and early 80s alongside the growth of Unix.
5.4%
3.8%
3.5%
3.2%
1.3%
1.3%
Today, the language is celebrated for its longevity, flexibility,
and ease of use—just some of the reasons it’s still popular
C Java C++ BASIC Pascal
T O O L S
for Gen Zers learning to code today.
Gen Z Millennial Gen X Baby Boomer

W O R K

I N D E X
Gen Z is utilizes How do you learn new coding skills?

I N T R O
bootcamps to learn YouTube

61.1%
71.0%
47.4%
new skills
40.6%
51.6%
43.5%
HackerRank Gen Z
L E A R N I N G
34.7%
32.9%
Gen Z is more likely than any previous generation to learn coding skills Millennial
16.0%
from bootcamps. Nearly one in six say they’ve leveraged bootcamps 13.2%
Coding Bootcamps 10.5% Gen X
to learn new skills. 9.7%
Baby Boomer
36.4%
On the flip side, they’re less likely to learn coding skills from older From Peers or Mentors
36.7%
34.8%
generations’ go-tos, like books and on-the-job training. As Gen Z 27.1%
comes to rely more heavily on non-traditional education sources

72.9%
like bootcamps, they’re poised to become a key talent pool. 76.4%
S K I L L S
Developer Websites (e.g. GitHub) 76.0%

63.2%
So which coding bootcamps are they turning to? Among respondents,

59.3%
the most commonly attended bootcamps were: Online Courses (e.g. edX)
66.9%
65.6%
63.9%
36.7%
• Codeworks On-the-job Training
45.3%
47.0%
46.5%
T O O L S
• AppAcademy
39.3%
• Hack Reactor 46.3%
Books 63.1%
• Coderhouse 68.4%
• Byte Academy
W O R K

I N D E X

I N T R O
Nearly 1 in 3 hiring Have you hired a developer that learned their coding skills
from a bootcamp?
managers have hired
L E A R N I N G
a bootcamp grad Not Sure 19.4%
Yes 31.7%
Hiring managers are bringing on bootcamp grads: 32% of them have
hired a developer who learned their coding skills from a bootcamp.
But not all hiring managers have tapped into this growing talent pool.
Nearly half (49%) of hiring managers have never hired a bootcamp
S K I L L S
grad. Results were similar across all company sizes.
As younger generations are increasingly drawn to bootcamps, that

mentality may have to change. Gen Z is more likely than previous
generations to learn coding skills from a bootcamp, while bootcamp
attendance rates have risen 11x over the last decade. Combined, it’s
a signal that bootcamp grads are slated to grow in number—and may
T O O L S
grow as a talent source as time goes on. No 48.9%

W O R K

I N D E X

I N T R O
And hiring managers Do you find bootcamp grads are better equipped
for the job than other hires?
believe they’re well-
L E A R N I N G
suited for the work

Same as
Hiring managers that bring on bootcamp grads reap the benefits. Other Hires Yes 33.0%
39.2%
In fact: 72% of hiring managers that have hired a bootcamp grad felt
they were equally or better equipped for the job than other hires.
According to managers, the top reasons bootcamp grads exceed are:
S K I L L S
• Ability to learn new technologies & languages quickly (71%)
• Strong practical experience (61%)
• Eager to take on new responsibilities (52%)
It’s a strong endorsement for this fast-growing form of coding

T O O L S
education. While the first coding bootcamps emerged in 2011, their No 27.8%
popularity has exploded over the course of the decade. A recent study
counted 20,000+ bootcamp graduates in 2019 from 110 full-time
programs—and that’s just in the United States (US) and Canada.
W O R K

I N D E X
Small companies
I N T R O
What is the highest level of education you’ve completed?
are most likely
69.0%
59.9%
59.7%
to hire developers
L E A R N I N G
50.9%
without a degree
31.9%
Tech hiring giants like Google, Apple, and IBM have famously lifted
25.2%
22.5%
their 4-year degree requirements. But for hiring developers without
22.0%
18.4%
degrees, it’s small companies that are leading the charge.
17.2%
S K I L L S
14.9%
32% of developers at small companies (1-49 employees) haven’t
8.6%
obtained a Bachelor’s degree. It’s a stark contrast to large companies
(10,000+ employees); there, 91% of developers have obtained
a Bachelor’s degree or higher, while only 9% have not.
It’s a win for small companies, and should be seen as an opportunity Less than Bachelor's degree Bachelor’s degree Master’s degree
T O O L S
or Doctorate degree
for larger companies to tap into a broader talent pool.
1-49 employees 50-999 employees 1,000-9,999 employees 10,000+ employees

W O R K

I N D E X
IN-DEMAND SKILLS
2020’s most in-demand What’s the most important role you’re looking to fill in 2020?
I N T R O
talent pool: full-stack 100%

5.2% 5.3% 5.4%
5.4% 6.2%
developers 7.4%
10.9%
7.9%
10.3%
9.0%
8.1%
10.2% 8.3%
9.9%
L E A R N I N G
8.5%
13.0% 14.9% 15.1% 14.8%

Across company sizes, hiring managers agree that full-stack developers 17.8%
are top priority: 38% of hiring managers say it’s the #1 role to fill in 2020.
Back-end developers and data scientists were ranked second and third 20.1%
priorities, respectively. 21.2% 24.0%
27.7% 28.0%
The emphasis on full-stack developers was most pronounced in small

S K I L L S
companies (1-49 employees), 43% of which ranked the role as their

top priority.
43.4% 33.9% 34.3% 36.2% 37.6%

Though the qualities that define a “full-stack developer” are a subject 0
of debate, most agree that they should have a basic understanding
(or better) of all layers of a tech stack, and should be able to generate 1-49 employees 50-999 employees 1,000-9,999 10,000+ Total
a minimum viable product on their own. It’s why they’re especially employees employees
T O O L S
important in small organizations, where fewer employees often have

to do the job of many.
Full-stack developer Back-end developer Data scientist
Front-end developer DevOps engineer QA engineer

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I N D E X
IN-DEMAND SKILLS
Full-stack developers Did your job require you to learn a new technical
skill in the last year?
I N T R O
are required to learn
59.7 %
56.9 %
new skills most often
53.0 %
49.3 %
46.6 %
45.4 %
45.1 %
L E A R N I N G
41.4 %
39.8 %
39.7 %
38.3 %
Full-stack developers may be in highest demand, but their role
36.1 %
33.4 %
33.1 %
is also one of the most professionally demanding. 60% of full-stack
developers were required to learn a completely new framework
28.2 %
27.3 %
25.8 %
or platform in the last year—more than any other role polled.
21.9 %
Full-stack developers also have to learn the most languages:
45% reported that they had to pick up a new one within the last year.
S K I L L S
Their peers have to learn more about theoretical concepts;

data scientists and DevOps engineers were required to learn new
concepts most often (33%).
With expertise that spans front-end, back-end, and more (depending

on whom you ask), full-stack developers have one of the more
Full-stack Front-end Back-end Data DevOps QA
nebulous job descriptions in the technical world. The relative developer developer developer scientist engineer engineer
T O O L S
flexibility of their role—and the breadth of technologies they have

to keep up on as a result—means learning on the job never stops.
Yes, a new language Yes, a new platform/framework Yes, a new theoretical concept
W O R K

I N D E X
IN-DEMAND SKILLS
1 in 5 hiring managers
I N T R O
What language skills do you look for when hiring developers?
in the Americas are

53.6%
language agnostic JavaScript 56.9%

51.2%
L E A R N I N G
53.6%
when seeking new hires

49.5%
Python 51.6%
50.7%
45.2%
44.1%
Globally, JavaScript is the most popular language hiring managers Java 38.1%
51.3%
look for in a candidate. But not all hiring managers see language 40.9%
skills as a top priority: globally, 14% say they’re language agnostic 19.7%
S K I L L S
when screening candidates. C#

21.7%
15.8%
23.6%
This trend is most pronounced in the Americas region (AMER):
18.3%
21% of hiring managers in the region are language agnostic 17.2%
C++ Global
when searching for new hires. Asia-Pacific region (APAC) hiring 17.5%
20.9% AMER
managers are half as likely to be language agnostic (10%).
17.0%
APAC
T O O L S
15.0%
PHP 16.8%
EMEA
19.5%
14.3%
20.5%
Language Agnostic
10.0%
12.8%
W O R K

I N D E X
DEVELOPER TOOLS
I N T R O
JavaScript is this year’s Best known languages: 2018-2020
most widely known 2020 2019 2018

L E A R N I N G
JavaScript 1 1 2
language (again) Java 2 2 1
C 3 3 3
In terms of most known languages, little has changed over the last three Python 4 4 5
years. In fact, the top 10 languages saw only two changes from last year:
C++ 5 5 4
C# and PHP switched between sixth and seventh position.
C# 6 7 6
S K I L L S
It’s worth noting that the best known language, JavaScript, isn’t
a language most developers learn to code in—only 5% of respondents
PHP 7 6 7
reported it as their first programming language. Java follows a similar TypeScript 8 8 8
pattern: it’s the second best known language overall, yet only 13%
of developers say it was their first language learned.
Pascal 9 9 9
R 10 10 10
T O O L S
W O R K

I N D E X
DEVELOPER TOOLS
I N T R O
Django and Vue.js Best known frameworks: 2018-2020
are rising steadily 2020 2019 2018

L E A R N I N G
AngularJS 1 1 1
This year, the framework landscape was as dynamic as last year, with five React 2 2 3
total changes across the top 10. Spring 3 3 2
Since our first Developer Skills Survey, Vue.js, has shown steady growth, Django 4 6 6
rising one spot per year since 2018. But the most dramatic change was for
ExpressJS 5 4 4
Django, which moved up two spots between 2019 and 2020 (rising from
ASP 6 5 5
S K I L L S
sixth to fourth most popular).
.NETCore 7 7 7
Django’s lift in usage is inextricably linked to the rise of Python. A popular
choice for machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), Python saw an Vue.js 8 9 10
uptick in usage in 2019, and has consistently been ranked as one of the top
Ruby on Rails 9 8 8
languages that developers want to learn year over year. And since Django is
a Python-based framework, it’s natural that Django would rise alongside it. JSF 10 10 9
T O O L S
W O R K

I N D E X
DEVELOPER TOOLS
Go is the #1 language What languages do you plan on learning next?

I N T R O
developers want
Go 36.2%
Python 27.7%
Kotlin 24.9%
to learn
Typescript 20.7%
R 20.0%
Scala 18.7%
L E A R N I N G
Swift 16.7%
For the third year running, Go is the #1 language developers want Rust 16.3%
to learn next. Ruby 15.9%
JavaScript 15.0%
Developed by Google, Go has seen increasing popularity since C# 13.5%
its invention in 2009, due in part to the visibility of its creators. Haskell 12.0%
As we noted in our 2018 report, it’s not the first time tech giants C++ 11.4%
like Google have driven language adoption: Twitter similarly Clojure 11.3%
S K I L L S
boosted Scala when it outgrew Ruby on Rails, as Apple did for Swift Elixir 11.0%
when it moved away from Objective-C. Objective-C 10.6%

Erlang 10.6%
And slowly but surely, developers are learning Go. It inched up Java 10.2%
to the 12th best known language for 2020, up from 13th in 2018. Julia 10.1%
Lua 9.4%
Perl 9.3%
T O O L S
PHP 8.8%
OCaml 7.9%
Prolog 7.7%
Stan 7.5%
Pascal 6.6%
C 6.0%
W O R K

I N D E X
DEVELOPER TOOLS
Those that know Perl

I N T R O
Salary increase based on languages known

Over global average salary ($54,491 USD)
make 54% more than Perl +54.2%
the average developer Scala +41.6%

L E A R N I N G
Go +33.4%
Perl is the language most closely associated with above-average Ruby +32.3%
pay. Globally, developers that know Perl make 54% more than Objective-C +22.4%
the average annual developer salary. It’s followed by Scala (+42%),
and Go (+33%). Swift +19.6%
Pascal +15.2%
The high pay association with languages like Perl, Scala, and Go
S K I L L S
is due in part to the demographic that knows them. For example, R +13.1%
about 10% of senior developers polled knew Perl—but only 2%
Prolog +11.3%
of junior developers did. Scala and Go showed similar patterns.
And since senior developers tend to earn higher salaries, C# +7.3%
the average salary associated with each language is elevated.
Kotlin +6.8%
Typescript +5.4%
T O O L S
Python +4.0%
JavaScript +2.2%
C++ +1.6%
W O R K

I N D E X
DEVELOPER TOOLS
Developers are learning

I N T R O
Which frameworks do you plan on learning next?
React, AngularJS, React 32.3%

27.6%
and Django
AngularJS
Django 26.3%
L E A R N I N G
Vue.js 23.6%
React is the framework most developers want to learn—32% say Ruby on Rails 16.3%
it’s the framework they’re learning next. Spark 15.3%

Spring 15.1%
AngularJS and Django round out the top 3: 28% say they plan
ExpressJS 13.7%
to learn AngularJS, and 26% say they’re learning Django. All three
frameworks are in the top five that hiring managers need. .NETCore 12.5%
S K I L L S
Backbone.js 11.0%
Last year, we noted that an increasing number of developers were ASP 8.9%
planning to learn React—and that as a result, it had a chance to
Ember 8.6%
become the best known framework in 2020. But in this year’s survey,
React’s position remained static as the second best-known framework. Cocoa 8.4%
Struts 8.3%
8.1%
T O O L S
Meteor
Pyramid 8.0%
JSF 7.4%
Padrino 7.1%
W O R K

I N D E X
DEVELOPER TOOLS
But globally, Salary increase based on frameworks known

I N T R O
Over global average salary ($54,491 USD)
Backbone.js is associated
Backbone.js +48.7%
with the highest pay Cocoa +34.6%

L E A R N I N G
Ruby on Rails +29.6%

Backbone.js is the framework associated with the highest pay:
Spark +29.4%
developers that know it earn 49% more than the global average.
Struts +19.3%
Cocoa and Ruby on Rails were linked to the second and third highest
average salaries. Those that know Cocoa earn 35% more than .NETCore +10.7%
the global average, whereas those that know Ruby on Rails earn
React +8.7%
30% more than the global average.
S K I L L S
ASP +7.4%
Again, the association with higher pay is tied in part to seniority.
Take, for example, Backbone.js. 7% of senior developers know it, Vue.js +6.3%
compared to only 2% of junior developers. And since senior
Angular JS +3.7%
developers earn higher pay, it could elevate the average pay linked
to the framework. JSF +2.2%
T O O L S
It’s worth noting that Backbone.js is also an uncommon skill— Spring +1.2%
globally, only 4% of developers know it. So the low knowledge supply
Django +1.0%
may allow those that know it to demand higher pay.
ExpressJS +0.1%
W O R K

I N D E X
DEVELOPERS AT WORK
US developers make What is your current salary?

I N T R O
more than those in any

United States $109,167
Australia $88,539
Canada $72,771
other country Netherlands

United Kingdom
$68,194
$65,388
L E A R N I N G
Germany $64,088
South Africa $45,990
Averaged across all job roles and levels, US developers are paid the
Indonesia $45,269
most: developers there make $109,167 annually on average.
Spain $44,038
Ukraine $43,600
Australia and Canada were the next highest paying countries, with
average developer salaries of $88,539 and $72,771, respectively. The Argentina $42,442
Netherlands and the United Kingdom rounded out the top five highest Colombia $41,818
paying countries. Turkey $41,758
S K I L L S
Mexico $41,392 Global Average Salary:

Brazil $40,876
$54,491 (USD)
Poland $40,420
Italy $39,716
Romania $39,641
Russia $39,256
T O O L S
Pakistan $39,154
India $38,229
Bangladesh $35,096
Nigeria $33,582
W O R K

I N D E X
DEVELOPERS AT WORK
The west is the highest Average developer salary by US metro area

I N T R O
paying region in the US San Francisco
Seattle
$147,948
$134,539
Los Angeles $129,080

Taking a closer look at the US, western cities take the cake Boston $116,804
for highest developer salaries. Cities in the west have the highest
L E A R N I N G
New York $115,792

pay (with an average salary of $128,198), while the northeast comes
Chicago $113,820
in second (with an average salary of about $112,871).
Austin $109,562
High salaries in the west region are led by coastal tech talent San Diego $107,903
magnets like San Francisco ($147,948), Seattle ($134,539),
Portland $107,432
and Los Angeles ($129,080), which make up the three highest
paying cities in the region. And in the northeast, Boston ($116,804) Salt Lake City $106,293
and New York ($115,792) pay the highest salaries. Washington D.C. $105,967
S K I L L S
Atlanta $104,803
Denver $101,095
Philadelphia $97,343
• West Average: $128,198
Dallas $96,641
• Northeast Average: $112,871
Minneapolis/St. Paul $90,882
• Midwest Average: $100,711
T O O L S
Phoenix $88,437
• South Average: $98,986
Detroit $86,046
Raleigh $83,125
Miami $79,583
W O R K

I N D E X
DEVELOPERS AT WORK
I N T R O
Globally, 39% of Do you believe you’re being paid fairly compared to your peers?
developers feel Not Sure 26.0%

L E A R N I N G
they’re paid unfairly Yes 34.9%
Only 35% of developers believe they’re being paid fairly. On the flip
side, 39% believe they’re being paid unfairly compared to peers,
and 26% just aren’t sure.
S K I L L S
As sharing salaries has become the norm through websites like

Glassdoor and LinkedIn, developers have gained unprecedented
access to peer salary estimates. In many ways, that shift is a positive
one; it gives developers the ammo they need to negotiate pay aligned
with their fair market value. But it also means developers are more
aware when their pay differs from that of their peer group.
No 39.1%
T O O L S
W O R K

I N D E X
DEVELOPERS AT WORK
I N T R O
The most important What form of professional growth is most important to you?
form of professional 2.3%

13.9%
growth: new tech skills

L E A R N I N G
Last year, we learned that competitive compensation is the #3

criteria developers look for in a job—but professional growth
and learning is #1. This year, we asked developers to define
the form of professional growth that’s most important to them. 24.9%
59.0%
S K I L L S
Most developers agree: they want opportunities to learn new

technical skills on the job. A whopping 59% of developers ranked it
as the most important form of professional growth.
It was twice as important as the ability to take on new responsibilities,

and more than 4x more important than chances to develop soft skills.
T O O L S
Opportunity to learn new technical skills at work
Ability to take on more responsibilities & receive promotions at work
Opportunities to develop soft skills

W O R K

I N D E X
DEVELOPERS AT WORK
I N T R O
Individual contributors What role do you want to have in three years?
want to be tech leads,
61.8%
57.6%
L E A R N I N G
47.6%
not managers
39.9%
30.4%
62% of developers in individual contributor roles want to become a technical
19.1%
15.3%
lead in the next three years. That’s a stark contrast to the number that want
to become managers (15%).
7.5%
6.5%
6.0%
4.5%
3.8%
S K I L L S
It may be part of why most developers prioritize learning new tech skills
when it comes to professional growth (versus taking on more responsibility
Want to be a Want to be an Want to be an Other
or soft skills advancement, for example). Most are less interested in
Technical Lead Individual Engineering
managing people, and more interested in filling a technical lead role, like a
Contributor Manager
principal architect—so picking up new technical skills is paramount.
On the flip side, developers currently acting as managers and technical leads Individual Contributors Technical Leads Engineering Managers
T O O L S
were pleased with their current roles. Most wanted to stay in the same role
down the line.
W O R K

I N D E X
DEVELOPERS AT WORK
Developers spend What do you do to take a break from coding?

I N T R O
downtime listening Listen to Music
Surf the Web 52.0%

61.0%
to music and surfing Eat or Drink Something 48.2%
Exercise / Go for a Walk 47.6%
the web
L E A R N I N G
Check Social Media 40.8%
Watch Videos 40.2%

When they’re not coding, most developers spend their
time listening to music (61%). Talk to a Co-Worker 37.3%
Read 31.2%
Surfing the web (52%), getting something to eat or drink
(48%), and exercising (48%) were also popular options Play Video Games 27.7%
S K I L L S
for a quick time out. But 3% of developers say they never

take a break! Text or Call Someone 27.5%
Take a Nap 20.2%
Meditate 10.5%
Play Ping Pong/Pool/Foosball 8.7%

T O O L S
Spend Time With my Pet(s) 8.3%
Never Take a Break from Coding 2.8%
Other 4.4%
W O R K

I N D E X
Methodology
I N T R O
HackerRank conducted its third annual developer skills survey to identify trends in the Global region definitions:
developer community. A total of 116,648 developers and students responded to the
15-minute online survey from November 12 to December 11, 2019. The survey was • Americas (AMER): Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia,
programmed in SurveyMonkey and HackerRank recruited respondents via email Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El
L E A R N I N G
(community members, customers, and prospects) and through social media sites. Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay,
Respondents came from 162 countries. Results were analyzed using Q Research. Tests Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela
of significant differences were conducted at the .05 level (95% probability that the difference • Asia-Pacific (APAC): Afghanistan, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei,
is real, not by chance). Percentages may not always add to 100% due to rounding. Cambodia, China, Fiji, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan,
Maldives, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan,
US region definitions (based on US Census Bureau method): Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkmenistan,
Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Tajikstan
• Midwest: Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Detroit • Europe, Middle East, & Africa (EMEA): Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Armenia,
• Northeast: Boston, New York, Philadelphia Austria, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Bulgaria,
S K I L L S
• South: Austin, Atlanta, Miami, Dallas, Raleigh, Miami, Washington D.C. Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Congo, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic,
• West: San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Diego, Portland, Salt Lake Denmark, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gabon,
City, Denver, Phoenix Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Holy See, Hungary, Iceland, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel,
Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg,
Generation definitions (based on Pew Research ranges): Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malta, Mauritius, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco,
Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Palestine, Poland,
• Gen Z: Born 1997-2012 Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Seychelles,
T O O L S
• Millennial: Born 1981-1996 Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden,
• Gen X: Born 1965-1980 Switzerland, Syria, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab
• Baby Boomer: Born 1946-1964 Emirates, United Kingdom, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mali
W O R K

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2020

organizations they work for.

2020 HackerRank Developer Skills Report | P.02

2020’s most widely known languages P.12

2020’s most widely known frameworks P.13

Languages developers want to learn P.14

INTRO P.02 Languages developers know vs. average salary P.15

Frameworks developers want to learn P.16

LEARNING Frameworks developers know vs. average salary P.17

The first language developers learned to code in P.04

How developers learn new coding skills P.05 WORK

Developer salaries in the US

Hiring managers’ opinions on bootcamp grad skills P.07 P.19

The most important form of professional growth P.21

SKILLS The role developers want to have in 3 years P.22

Roles required to learn new skills most often P.10

Languages hiring managers are looking for P.11 METHODOLOGY P.24

2020 HackerRank Developer Skills Report | P.03

LEARNING & EDUCATION

For learning to code,

What was the first language you learned to code in?

for Gen Zers learning to code today.

Gen Z Millennial Gen X Baby Boomer

2020 HackerRank Developer Skills Report | P.04

LEARNING & EDUCATION

Gen Z is utilizes How do you learn new coding skills?

bootcamps to learn YouTube

comes to rely more heavily on non-traditional education sources

Developer Websites (e.g. GitHub) 76.0%

So which coding bootcamps are they turning to? Among respondents,

2020 HackerRank Developer Skills Report | P.05

LEARNING & EDUCATION

a bootcamp grad Not Sure 19.4%

grad. Results were similar across all company sizes.

As younger generations are increasingly drawn to bootcamps, that

grow as a talent source as time goes on. No 48.9%

2020 HackerRank Developer Skills Report | P.06

LEARNING & EDUCATION

suited for the work

• Ability to learn new technologies & languages quickly (71%)

• Strong practical experience (61%)

• Eager to take on new responsibilities (52%)

It’s a strong endorsement for this fast-growing form of coding

2020 HackerRank Developer Skills Report | P.07

LEARNING & EDUCATION

What is the highest level of education you’ve completed?

are most likely

1-49 employees 50-999 employees 1,000-9,999 employees 10,000+ employees

2020 HackerRank Developer Skills Report | P.08

talent pool: full-stack 100%

13.0% 14.9% 15.1% 14.8%

The emphasis on full-stack developers was most pronounced in small

companies (1-49 employees), 43% of which ranked the role as their

43.4% 33.9% 34.3% 36.2% 37.6%

important in small organizations, where fewer employees often have

Front-end developer DevOps engineer QA engineer

2020 HackerRank Developer Skills Report | P.09

are required to learn

Their peers have to learn more about theoretical concepts;

With expertise that spans front-end, back-end, and more (depending

flexibility of their role—and the breadth of technologies they have

2020 HackerRank Developer Skills Report | P.10

What language skills do you look for when hiring developers?