Fastest-Growing Skills Topped by Engineering to Build Next Siri

Coders who can help machines communicate with people are in high demand. Software engineers who program computers to understand human speech saw U.S. demand for their labor grow faster than workers with any other skill, according to data from last quarter compiled by Upwork, a website that matches freelancers with employers. The skillset, called natural language processing, is what powers voice-activated virtual assistants like Apple's Siri and Amazon's Echo devices. "Voice surged to the scene in 2016," said Rich Pearson, a senior vice president of marketing at Upwork Global Inc. "I don't think any of us expected Echo to be as popular as it is." Freelancers who know natural language processing earned an average hourly rate of $123 per hour, and the total amount that they billed soared by 2300 percent last quarter from a year earlier.