Toptal, a global network for engineers, designers, and finance experts recently launched a blockchain specialization. The company’s new on-demand service will connect businesses to the top distributed network of blockchain engineers vetted through the Toptal platform.Although blockchain technology started in the fintech sector, it is transforming a variety of other industries. The healthcare industry uses blockchain technology to streamline healthcare records, while the logistics and transport industry is leveraging the transparency and traceability of the technology to improve existing supply chains. Demand for blockchain expertise is currently high and is only going grow even further in the future. According to Toptal’s press release, the company’s demand for blockchain talent increased by over 700 percent in one year from January 2017. While blockchain technology is creating breakthroughs in healthcare, energy, and human resources, progress is not possible if there aren’t enough qualified engineers.
Demand for blockchain talent is growing exponentially. Blockchain related jobs are the second fastest growing jobs in today’s labour market. As reported at the North American Blockchain Conference, for every 14 blockchain related job openings, there is only one blockchain engineer available in the world. In 2017, Upwork - a freelance talent marketplace - saw blockchain quickly rise to become the fastest growing skill out of the 5,000 skills billed. While a large majority of services were related to engineering projects, they also included ICO advisory services and overall blockchain consultancy.Although venture capital firms provided capital to propel new blockchain initiatives, the industry’s greatest challenge is the pace at which the technology can evolve. For blockchain to continue growing in the long term, it needs a sustainable pool of talent.“The entire blockchain industry is hitting a talent bottleneck,” said Luka Horvat, head of talent operations at Toptal. “Toptal’s world-class screening process, combined with specialist training for its existing elite developer network, will support future demand for blockchain talent at scale.”
To begin, Toptal will help connect companies with freelance developers in a range of critical areas including distributed programming, cryptography, private blockchains, decentralized applications, and smart contracts.“Blockchain technology is a growing field and will become increasingly important going forward,” said Michael Dedrick, blockchain expert at Toptal and lead user experience designer for Secure Key. “Getting the right blockchain talent can not only help a company with their current needs but will also help them to strategically prepare for what’s next.”Vitalik Buterin, the founder of Ethereum agrees with Dedrick. He believes that key developers and researchers should also work with many different companies and that technical knowledge concerning the protocol upgrades should be democratized. “With a talent network spanning over 100 countries, companies leveraging Toptal to develop their blockchain technologies will be able to keep their teams and networks decentralized and secure,” said Buterin in Toptal’s press release.Image credit: Toptal logo
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