React vs Angular vs Vue Job Demand Evolution (2015-2018)

June 12, 2018 Xavi Sala

In that post we publish the evolution of frontend development in Spain as per most demanded framework in companies. The data has been collected form all offers published in JobFluent between 2015 to 2018 with the skills Angular, React and Vue. Besides we examine the effects of adoption of these new technologies by companies and its effect in salaries and developers.

Angular losing ground

On the frontend world, it’s been a two side affair for some time. Angular6 or React? Apparently Angular was the most demanded framework a couple of years ago in Europe, but now React is reversing this trend. Today more companies look for React developers than ever. Take a look at the graph below:

 

React vs Angular -- Spain

 

This chart tells the story of how fast technology tastes change. Back in 2015 Angular held a 60% margin as favourite framework. In just two years React has overcome this deficit and is now the preferred framework with a growing margin.

Is Vue.js going to take over?

In the graph you can see also that orange vector representing Vue.js job demand, a framework that has been on the fringes of frontend development since its inception, but now seems to be taking off. Judging by the trend followed by React it is reasonable to think that in two/three years Vue.js or any other new kid on the block could be the framework to go for companies.

One unintended consequence of this fast adoption of new technologies by companies is talent scarcity, adding this up to the scarcity for tech profiles in general. We constantly talk to companies and startups looking for talent, they all struggle to find developers with the skills needed. Then salaries go up in consequence, with companies paying way above market to attract the few that are left.

Are salaries above or below market?

Conversely you have developers complaining that salaries in Barcelona are way behind from those of Berlin, London or even Paris, and asking for companies to adapt or else face the consequences of talent heading into other directions. And yet when we at JobFluent have released salary data we’ve faced backlash from developers who say the salaries we publish are not realistic, well above market. Take this Codely TV episode about salaries for developers in Spain, you can see in the comments section how controversial this issue is. When the episode was shared on Menéame it also stirred a bitter debate among developers, lots of them claiming their salaries were far below the averages we were publishing.

Developers living in different realities

The once homogenous group of what we called “developers”, all of them apparently doing the same job, has transformed into a myriad of subgroups separated by technologies, with crazy different salary ranges for each other. There are roughly 120.000 developers in Spain, we get the feeling that most of them don’t know where exactly their professional field is heading. At one point some get disconnected from the market and next time they check their colleagues are earning twice as much.

Back to the graph, as simple as it is, it works as a reminder of the need to stay fresh and willing to absorb new technologies to have a long career as a developer otherwise the risk is becoming redundant to the market.