Software engineer role world’s best profession due to high demand and good pay

The growing demand for software engineers, coupled with good working conditions and a strong earning potential, has made the job the best profession in the world, according to a new study.

The research, conducted by Careerscast.com, said this combination of factors placed the role above other leading professions, including, human resources manager, dental hygienist and financial planner.

"The world is going digital, and software engineers who can help with that transformation are reaping the benefits. Their pay is great, hiring demand for their skills is through the roof, and working conditions have never been better," the firm said.

The report also placed computer systems analysts in ninth place and web developers in fifteenth place, underlining the positive working benefits of such roles as they increase in importance to many businesses.

The claims were backed by IT jobs' site Freelancer.co.uk, with the firm's UK manager Saif Bonar, telling V3 they chimed with an increase in demand for software engineers over recent years.

"Our site has seen a rapid rise in the amount of jobs undertaken by software engineers, confirming it is one of the fastest growing professions [and] more small businesses are hiring freelance software engineers to help grow their businesses," he said.

"I speak to many of our users who have retrained in their twenties, thirties and forties because they know that becoming a software engineer is one of the most secure, creative and best paid jobs to have now and in the future."

Bonar added that the growing number of start-ups in the UK was also helping drive the demand for software developers.

"Start-ups are creating some amazing products and services in the current web boom, and they wouldn't be able to do it without software engineers," he said.

The findings are good news for those in the IT industry, which also saw some of its fastest salary increases for almost three years during 2011.