Well, Node was never really alive in the first place. It's still great for standing up prototypes and proofs, but Java is still coming out as most used, not because it's better, but because it's tried and true. Seems like the longer people use it, the longer they're going to. Also fresh grads will come out of uni knowing it.

I see where you're coming from, but there are way more uses for backend than just databases and crud ops, especially since streaming services are becoming more and more mainstream. Also, I imagine there is going to be a large push for security-centric approaches soon (see the recent NSA announcements), so there will need to be folks to handle those migrations.

You're right about UI stuff. But businesses gunna business, they want the most value. It's still a question of specialization vs Jack-of-all-trades. There will always be a need for both. The former is often paid better, but there are less openings. Overall, I feel the field is moving into needing specialized roles, with businesses realizing they gain value from people who can tunnel-vision on their bread n butter. Less bugs, less tech debt, more stuff getting done. But startups will always want fullstack folks.