Next-generation software development competencies: Identification of technical and non-technical skills needed by modern industry

The software development industry is undergoing unprecedented growth and transformation, prompting a reevaluation of the skills and competencies necessary for success in this dynamic landscape. This study investigates the rapidly evolving skill requirements within the industry, driven by technological advancements. To achieve this, a Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) framework is employed, enabling the identification of key topics from a dataset derived from online job postings. The analysis revealed 52 core topics pertinent to software development competencies. The findings reveal a significant emphasis on both technical domain knowledge and programming skills, with particular attention to modern programming languages such as Java, Python, and JavaScript. Moreover, non-technical skills, including communication, teamwork, and critical thinking, are underscored as vital competencies in today’s collaborative software development environments. These insights emphasize the necessity for software developers to cultivate a diverse skill set to adapt to current and future industry demands. This work serves as a crucial reference for understanding the present and future skill requirements in the software development field, providing valuable guidance for developers, employers, and educational institutions.