The Future Of IT Hiring: What's Changing

The hiring landscape is changing alongside technological development, business environment transformations and global market shifts. What does this mean for software developers and the companies hiring them? My company helps people become programmers, so we often explore the hiring trends and collect feedback from users. Here are some insights I've gathered that can help those navigating the IT hiring process.

Hiring Market: A Helicopter View

If you compare the hiring process today with that of ten years ago, the difference is enormous. Now, we live in a world of highly distributed teams and companies. The pandemic forced managers to overcome (or at least silence for a while) their fears and let employees work from home. Employees liked it, and now they want more, even though the pandemic is officially over. For instance, 78% of Canadian employees prefer working from home. For IT businesses, remote teams became common, so they had to adjust hiring and onboarding processes accordingly.

These changes required quite a mental stretch from many managers: They had to review their beliefs and reconsider some basic terms like productivity, control, etc. But whether some like it or not, today's business environment is a global one. Companies (especially in the IT industry!) compete not only for customers but for employees, as well—and they compete in an international arena. If you find a perfect developer who lives in a different country, will you give them up for a less qualified but local candidate? I highly doubt it.

Plus, today, we have many tools to make teamwork smoother and more productive: online meetings, cloud storages, screencasting services, virtual boards, digital planners and calendars, etc. You can talk with teammates with or without video, leave them different types of messages, keep each other up to date with your progress, and perform all possible tasks while sitting in your pajamas in the kitchen, and still—despite many managers’ fears—be very productive.

This is our world now; we must accept it, let it be and learn how to benefit from the new order of things.

The Law Of Demand

Despite the news about big tech companies laying people off, developers are in high demand, and this likely won’t change soon. In the recent Lensa study, computer-related jobs occupied second place in the U.S. There are definitely more job openings than available candidates, although the precise numbers are unclear. For example, according to CompTIA’s data, there were 4.1 million postings for tech job openings by U.S. employers in 2022. Moreover, CompTIA predicts the growth rate for tech jobs to be nearly twice the national jobs rate over the next ten years.

Digitalization and technological advancements drive different business areas and lead to the appearance of IT-related jobs. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF)'s Future of Jobs report, we may expect four million more digitally enabled roles in the coming years, and the fastest growing roles are mostly technology-related, such as AI and machine learning specialists.

This evidence shows that one stable thing in our ever-changing world is a demand for IT specialists. Still, there’s another question: What are employers looking for in tech professionals today?

The Need To Be More Than Just Being A Developer

Today, in almost all industries, lifelong learning is a necessity. But for IT specialists, it’s a matter of “professional surviving.” Having a master’s degree is far from enough; you need to work on skills that are most in-demand right now. Employers are interested in your skills, not the fact that you finished a university (it doesn’t matter if it was yesterday or a decade ago).

Sometimes having a university diploma and no practical experience may be an obstacle to getting a job. Fortunately, there are ways to gain practical skills that are attractive to employers; for instance, in my experience, people who spend six to 15 months studying Java and accumulating programming experience (depending on how much time they are willing to dedicate to learning, as well as their previous background and other factors) often have an easier time getting a job than for university graduates. This can also help you gain valuable skills like self-studying, problem-solving and finding the information needed.

Employers value adaptability and a high pace of learning, but what other skills are a priority to them? Let me emphasize: there’s nothing permanent today, even the list of necessary skills. According to the Future of Jobs report, "44% of workers’ skills will be disrupted in the next five years." So, it’s impossible to learn something once and for all and be sure you’ll always have a job. You need to monitor hiring trends and keep your skill set up to date.

Even in the IT industry, it's becoming more and more essential to have advanced soft skills in order to be hired. Companies look at how developers think instead of just testing candidates' technical knowledge. According to the WEF report, 40% of companies plan to develop employees' leadership skills in the coming years; 32% would like to focus on resilience, flexibility and agility; and 30% want to focus on improving their staff's curiosity and lifelong learning. Candidates should probably consider developing these skills individually, too.

AI For Hiring

I can’t omit AI, one of the most recent and influential tech advancements that will likely change how companies hire employees. Sure, major transformation won’t happen overnight, but companies have already started using AI in this area. For example, AI can analyze CVs and conduct an initial check to see whether a candidate has the required skills, experience, etc. Also, it can screen different platforms (job websites, social networks) and find suitable candidates. Moreover, AI can assess technical skills and “watch” recordings of video interviews with candidates to analyze their body language and tone of voice. Having such assistance can save a lot of time for HR managers, and it's even more reason for applicants to ensure their CVs are thorough and their interview skills are polished.

Times are changing, and hiring processes change, too. That means companies and candidates have even more reason to go with the flow, embrace these new realities, and find ways to benefit from them.