In 2024, artificial intelligence and machine learning experts are among the most sought-after professions leading in the tech field. In the last four years, AI professionals including machine learning engineers and data scientists have increased by 74% annually. Today, AI and its numerous types are utilized by almost all enterprises. Be it healthcare, education or finance to enhance the analysis of data together with automation of processes and the development of algorithms and models.
AI is making rounds in all spheres of work-life while the technology sector is undergoing rapid changes, it is imperative that the HR landscape evolves alongside it to cater to and provide better professionals. According to a Microsoft study, tech jobs are going to explode from 41 million in 2020 to 190 million in 2025. To fill this growing gap in need, recruiting strategies need to adapt.
As this article moves forward, readers will get a glimpse at the growing trends in hiring that will take place in 2025. Keep on reading to know all the upcoming trends for 2025.
Words like artificial intelligence and machine learning are no longer buzzwords anymore and have turned into significant parts of multiple industries. According to a McKinsey Global Institute report, up to 14% of the global workforce could need to retrain for new jobs by 2030 due to technological change. These include digitization, robotics and AI.
Moreover, organizations are rushing to automate causing a great demand for AI specialists and machine learning engineers. They have key roles in developing AI algorithms, tapping advanced natural language processing, and developing intelligent systems. The healthcare sector and finance have been prioritizing the hiring of these roles.
With remote work growing and cyber threats getting pickier, cybersecurity has moved to the top of the list for hiring. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, those jobs will increase by 33% between 2020 and 2030. They’re information security analysts, penetration testers, and security engineers and are essential to protect organizations from breaches. These skills — risk assessment, incident response and compliance — are becoming more important as cyber risks rise.
Tech companies are also focusing much of their efforts on cloud computing, which is predicted to exceed the $1 trillion market segment by 2029. Cloud infrastructure is becoming a necessity for businesses, and businesses depend on cloud engineers to help manage multi-cloud environments and scale them. Particularly expertise in cloud platforms like AWS, Azure and Google Cloud is most valuable.
Blockchains were once meant for cryptocurrencies but now they are very critical for finance and logistics. According to Precedence Research, the global Blockchain Technology Market Size totaled USD 17.60 billion in 2023 of USD 26.91 billion in 2024 and is forecast to reach USD 1,879.30 billion by 2034 at a CAGR of 52.9 % in the forecast period 2024 to 2034.
Blockchain developers and smart contract engineers are in high demand by companies, searching for the best people who can create secure, inexpensive systems for various applications. Blockchain professionals typically are paid competitive salaries ranging from $80,000 to $140,000 a year.
As AI technology is advancing every other quarter, the imperative of newer job opportunities and roles is growing too. A recent data study by CompTIA revealed that demand for data scientists is expected to rise by 304% in the next ten years, while cybersecurity analysts will see a 267% increase. As this trend is growing, salaries are going up because people are demanding specialized skills.
Specialised skills are becoming more in demand, particularly in major tech hubs like San Francisco New York and London. There are AI and cybersecurity experts who can earn six figures and even get a salary of more than $100,000 in top positions. However, wages vary from region to region, and from region to region, the cost of living changes—usually with specialized roles throwing in a little premium pay across the board.
Certainly technical expertise is important, but increasingly, you need things like communication, leadership, and the ability to adapt to change. For technology professionals, including leaders such as CTOs and IT managers, good interpersonal skills are crucial to managing teams, making the technological transition and leading digital transformation projects. Technical knowledge is not the only emphasis of companies—it’s the soft skills that go with them now.
According to a CompTIA report, hiring for IT professionals in the US is expected to rise from 52% in the first quarter of 2023 to a projected 61 per cent by the end of 2024. Q2 2023 saw a modest dip, attributed to seasonal effects, but was followed by the continuation of the tech sector’s growth and recovery in Q4.
With the realization that top tech talent is needed to keep up the competitive edge, organizations are re-organising their recruitment strategies. To compete in this competitive environment, companies have to provide robust career development opportunity that attracts and retains skilled professionals, flexible work arrangements or open sizes that these skilled professionals prefer amongst other competitive packages such as salary etc.
While organizations seek more specialized tech skills, they’ve been unable to fill these jobs. Readily available figures from Robert Half show that 90% of recruiting managers are struggling to fill roles such as AI, cloud computing and cybersecurity. Many businesses are solving this challenge through upskilling programs that will train their current workforce, it will also help to provide career advancement opportunities and will help mitigate the talent shortage from within.
With technology moving along at such quick speed, the need to stay up to date with new things is very necessary, be it your companies or your employees. Working professionals are staying ahead of the competition by availing certifications in programming, cloud computing and cybersecurity from online platforms. Investing in upskilling initiatives not only helps bridge the skills gap but also helps in employee retention.
To sum up, the outlook for tech hiring in 2025 presents both challenges and opportunities. There is clear evidence that the market need for IT professionals in The United States is going up despite economic pressures that are still present as well as the impacts of previous layoffs. Challenges in the business environment exist where competition tightens and companies adapt to experiments and improve flexibility while sourcing for their human resources capital, with the skills gap remaining an ever-present challenge.
The industry is growing more international, and working remotely is becoming common. Hence, tech employers are increasingly hiring employees from across the world. Adapted businesses will have the prime criterion of establishing corporate strategies to get the right, qualified individuals as their competitive edge and market strengths to continue to bear fruit and strengthen their IT staff to meet their long-term goals.