Six tech hiring trends to watch in 2025

Given the mass layoffs that took place in 2024, one might expect hiring tech talent to be easier with so many specialists left unemployed. Nevertheless, there is still a high demand for skilled hires. Recruiters say that closing tech positions remains challenging, particularly when it comes to Senior openings.??

To make sense of the current situation in the talent market, we’ve analyzed data from major career platforms like Dice, LinkedIn, and Glassdoor and formulated six significant tech hiring trends to watch in 2025.?

Without further ado, let’s look at key trends defining the hiring landscape for the coming months.?

1. Emphasis on specialized skills?

Going beyond one’s responsibilities and contributing to a business in multiple ways remains a valuable asset, especially for startups with limited human resources. However, companies are placing even greater emphasis on profound expertise that gives businesses a competitive edge. In 2025, tech companies will likely prioritize candidates with deep knowledge in specific areas over generalists.?

This tech hiring trend is particularly evident in sectors where rapid technological advancements demand highly specialized skill sets. For instance, there is a growing demand for data science and cybersecurity specialists capable of solving complex problems. Recognizing their potential to drive long-term value and market differentiation, tech companies are increasingly investing in targeted recruitment strategies to attract professionals with these critical skills.?

2. Scarcity of AI and ML expertise

Dice’s latest reports show that AI is the fastest-growing skill in demand among employers. The number of job postings with AI expertise requirements showed an increase of 156% (based on data from the November 2024 report) since the same month last year. The second most sought-after skill among tech employers is machine learning.?

The growing demand for AI and ML skills is driven by companies' reliance on these technologies to drive innovation. In 2025, the demand for expertise in these fields is likely to grow further, outpacing the supply of professionals who possess it. This will inevitably increase compensation expectations among such professionals.?

3. The office comeback?

One of the notable tech hiring trends in 2024 was the push by several major tech companies for their employees to return to office work. Some companies have limited their requirements to the hybrid model, where employees must attend offices two or three days a week (Google and Meta). Others, including Amazon, took a stricter stance, mandating a five-day office attendance.?

Having enjoyed the privilege of remote work for several years, many employees are not ready to give it up and return to the office. The shift back to pre-pandemic office policies has left some dissatisfied, prompting them to seek new opportunities. As a result, the office comeback has provided an avenue for more flexible companies to attract new talent and retain employees who value adaptability and work-life balance.?

4. Skills-based recruitment?

The requirements for formal education have lost their significance for the majority of tech roles. Rather than looking for candidates with specific college degrees, employers pay more attention to the actual skills and hands-on experience candidates have. In practice, this tech hiring trend is reflected in fewer job postings with degree requirements.?

There is a belief that practical abilities better reflect a candidate’s potential than formal education. This applies to both hard and soft skills. An additional advantage of the growing shift toward skill-based hiring is improved employee retention. Hiring individuals to perform work they excel at fosters greater job satisfaction. From a business perspective, higher retention rates translate into lower costs for talent acquisition.?

5. Soft skills on the rise?

As employers seek more profound expertise in their teams, the importance of soft skills is also growing. LinkedIn’s October 2024 report shows that 69% of executives prioritize candidates with soft skills. They believe that these skills help candidates move across different roles in the company.?

So, what are the skills that tech hiring trends favor the most? According to Dice, communication, management, and problem-solving are the top three soft skills companies look for in new hires. Apart from those, hiring managers request leadership, planning, and attention to detail.?

The strong value of soft skills in tech positions can be explained by their critical role in driving project success. While technical expertise is essential, it’s the ability to communicate effectively, manage conflicts, and solve complex challenges that often determine the outcome of collaborative projects. Tech specialists with these soft skills are believed to better align with business goals and foster a cohesive team environment.?

6. Offshoring for expertise and cost efficiency?

The shortage of specialized skills and difficulty competing with larger companies for talent make hiring offshore developers an appealing option for startups. For example, a company struggling to hire cloud engineers in the U.S. can extend the search to Latin America or Europe, where there is a robust pool of skilled professionals.?

Apart from accessing talent with expertise in the field, small and medium-sized businesses can benefit from more favorable tax regulations and reduced operational costs. This allows them to allocate resources more efficiently, freeing up the budget for product development and scaling. When approached strategically, outstaffing emerges as one of the tech hiring trends that can significantly improve your business’s bottom line in 2025.?

Conclusion?

In the late months of 2024, despite the layouts still happening, the job market shows encouraging signs for the future of the tech industry. Dice’s November report showed a 29% year-over-year increase in job postings. The tech unemployment rate stayed at 2.6%, below the U.S. national unemployment rate of 4.1%.?

With a relatively stable situation in the market, the tech hiring trends 2024 are going to stay relevant throughout the following year.??

As the demand for specialized skills like AI and ML grows faster than supply, employers seeking this type of expertise should focus on developing targeted recruitment strategies and offering better compensation packages and growth opportunities.?

Companies offering flexible working opportunities, like remote work, can gain a competitive edge for talent that values work-life balance, autonomy, and the ability to manage their own schedules.?

Offshoring some of the business’s operations to other regions can offer significant savings due to more favorable legal environments and lower compensation rates.?

On the other hand, candidates striving to land a better job in 2025 should focus on developing both specialized technical skills and soft skills, such as communication and problem-solving, to stand out in the tech job market.