Demand remains high for skilled technology professionals as we move further into 2025. Because of the ongoing talent squeeze and other challenging hiring trends, employers must work harder to recruit and retain top talent for permanent and contract roles if they want to meet their goals in the months ahead.
As a manager, knowing the most in-demand positions allows you to better compete for promising candidates while reinforcing your retention efforts for roles at greatest risk of turnover. Robert Half’s Demand for Skilled Talent report can help. It highlights the latest data from surveys of hiring managers and our analysis of thousands of job postings to help you make informed hiring and management decisions.
Here are some key takeaways from the report.
2025 In-Demand Technology Roles and Hiring Trends
What does the technology hiring market look like?
Most technology positions tracked by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics have seen unemployment rates trending well below the December 2024 national rate of 4.1%. For example, the rate reported for software developers was 2.2% in Q4 2024, and the rates for systems analysts (2.0%), IT and user support specialists (1.6%), database administrators and architects (1.5%), security analysts (1.4%) and network architects (0.3%) were even lower. With a limited number of professionals looking for employment in these areas, companies will need to be strategic when hiring for these and related positions.
Top industries hiring for technology roles include business and professional services, manufacturing and transportation, financial services, and IT.
What are key hiring trends in the technology job market?
Companies continue facing strong competition from other firms for tech talent, particularly for candidates with specialized skills. Across industries, AI proficiency tops the list of most-sought capabilities, with organizations needing expertise for everything from chatbots to predictive maintenance systems. Other in-demand skill areas include data science, IT operations and support, cybersecurity and privacy, and technology process automation.
Tech and IT firms’ strategic priorities in 2025 include cybersecurity; AI, machine learning and automation initiatives; AI governance; cloud projects; and especially technology modernization.
Technical debt—the cost of outdated or suboptimal systems and software—is a significant concern for tech teams. This issue extends beyond IT to affect other departments across the organization, like HR with its fragmented systems and accounting and finance with their legacy platforms that need upgrading. When addressing cross-departmental technical debt, tech managers should prioritize candidates who have both strong collaboration skills and experience building scalable, sustainable system solutions.
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Managers planning increased recruitment in the first half of 2025
To achieve critical business objectives, most technology leaders intend to expand their workforce or sustain current staffing levels in the coming months. 58% of technology leaders plan to look for candidates for new permanent roles, while 39% are recruiting solely to staff vacant permanent positions.
However, 87% of leaders report difficulties securing qualified professionals in today's employment landscape. At the same time, 65% said they’re increasing their use of contract talent.
How to compete for technology talent in a challenging hiring environment
In today’s competitive hiring market, attracting and retaining top technology professionals requires a mix of strategies.
Salaries that meet or beat market rates are vital, but workplace flexibility, including remote and hybrid options, is prioritized by many candidates. In the technology field, 54% of new job postings have recently been for on-site positions, 28% for hybrid and 18% for fully remote roles. Policies promoting other ways to achieve work-life balance such as personal wellness days and parental leave can also set you apart from other companies seeking the same talent.
The opportunity to work with emerging technologies can be a magnet for today's professionals—and another way to compete for skilled talent. In particular, candidates see working with AI as an opportunity to develop highly sought skills that can enhance their career trajectory.
And don’t forget how important it is to streamline your hiring processes. Delays often result in losing top candidates to your competitors.
Beyond these internal measures, partnering with specialized recruiters can help you identify and access high-potential candidates who may not actively be job hunting.
Want to know more about hiring trends? Take a look at the Demand for Skilled Talent report.
About the Demand for Skilled Talent report
The Demand for Skilled Talent report by Robert Half is an authoritative source providing essential insights into employment trends. This report has offered a deep dive into the U.S. hiring landscape for over a decade, spotlighting challenges and strategies to attract and retain talent. It explores what employees seek in their careers, identifies common recruitment errors and suggests solutions. The report spans finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal, administrative and customer support, and human resources, proving crucial for business leaders and managers.
