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I am often asked where to start a career in UX design. Does it make sense to develop in this direction or to look for something else? All these questions are always tied to trends and job market trends in Germany, the USA and other countries.

Today I want to share the trends I’ve noticed in the job market. I will tell you which direction to take to become successful in UX design.

The demand for UX specialists is on the rise

According to an analysis of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics by CompTIA, the number of job postings for technical positions is rising. It is especially compared to the previous year, as there has been an increase of more than 50%.

Occasionally, however, there are news reports about technical staff being laid off in certain companies. But this is not a general market trend. You can find out for yourself by using the online layoff tracker. It will give you an idea of who is laying off employees and why.

Currently, it makes sense to study UX, as there is a growing demand for UX designers in the market.

UX salary expectations

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Glassdoor and other analysts have recently estimated that the average annual salary for UX designers is around $98k. But that’s not the limit. In the US, for example, designer salaries rose by an average of 8.1% last year, while in Canada, they rose by 19%.

In Germany, UX designers earn around 55 thousand euros annually on average. If the salary is below €40k, it’s worth inquiring about a raise or looking for a position with another company.

If you want to check the salary statistics for UI/UX designers in different cities in Germany or take a look at similar data for other IT professionals, check out Germantechjobs.de.

Benefits of working remotely

Since the pandemic, new opportunities for remote work have opened up. In recent years, companies have learned how to manage projects and have built successful teamwork models with employees working remotely rather than sitting in an office.

According to Flexjobs, 43% of companies allow some form of remote working. This opens up new opportunities for UX designers, especially since there are payroll platforms that take care of organizational issues with signing contracts, invoicing and paying taxes.

So if you have a good command of English, you’re open to more than one country’s job market. You can look for work in the USA, Canada, Germany and other European countries.

To find a remote job as a UX designer, I recommend the following resources:

Find out more about them and several other services in this publication:

How to be productive on remoting I share here:

Essential changes in the UX job market

To be in demand as a professional, you must constantly keep up with trends and new technologies.

For example, there is a significant shift towards using AI throughout all phases of user interaction, from helpdesk chatbots to personalized recommendations and suggestions, based on previous user actions. There is also a demand for voice user interfaces in future products.

All in all, you need to evolve in UX design constantly and, in parallel, pump up your soft skills:

How to find your first UX designer job without experience?

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I’ve highlighted a few steps to help you find your first UX designer job without experience.

1. Start with training. Take a course or enlist the support of a mentor who will share their experience and help you put together and post your first portfolio.
2. Bookmark my list of top UX bloggers who give lots of practical advice.
3. Register on job search platforms and respond to job openings. Showcase your portfolio and complete test assignments. You might find my experience helpful at this stage: Test assignments or portfolio: what works for a UX designer?

Still, have questions or need advice? Please email me.