Another year has flown by faster than the speed of light, or so it seems. That means it’s time to explore the forces driving IT hiring trends for the year ahead! In 2025, at the very least, we can expect a dynamic year for both employers and job seekers in the IT and technology space.
Let’s dive into the tech hiring trends 2025 has in store and what they mean for organisations and for people considering a career move in the next 12 months.
Persistent Skills Shortages
A challenging economy might suggest doom and gloom, but the reality of tech hiring is more complex. Many organisations continue to cry out for skilled talent to fill critical ICT jobs and tech jobs despite the much-publicised waves of redundancies reported in 2023. Demand for specific skill sets will persist while the scope of roles changes and even expands.
As many as 21% of Australian tech companies cited “access to necessary skills” as a barrier to their growth, Australian Information Industry Association research found. AIIA also found that skills in artificial intelligence, cyber security, and app development are among the most difficult to recruit for. On the public side, 76% of government agencies have reported a shortage of ICT workers.
For employers facing persistent recruitment difficulty for specific roles, 2025 priorities could include investing more effort into building a strong employer brand and employee value proposition. It’s also wise to consider more lateral approaches to hiring, particularly for those in-demand skill sets.
Jobseekers On the Move
One of the key tech hiring trends of 2025 is understanding what candidates and employees want. An Info-Tech survey of more than 500 IT professionals found 42% are actively or passively seeking new roles. The reasons? Work-life balance and the quality of management.
IT professionals still want flexibility, whether through hybrid working arrangements, reduced commuting demands, or reasonable workloads that accommodate their personal commitments.
Meanwhile, effective IT leadership will be a key factor in employee retention – and is also a magnet for new talent. Professionals want to work for managers who communicate well, provide mentorship, and create a supportive work environment.
With talent in high demand, organisations that overlook these basics might risk losing their best people to competitors. For job seekers, the challenge is to find not just a suitable role but also an employer that will help them thrive.
The Impact of Artificial Intelligence
The majority (92% of IT jobs will see a “high or moderate transformation” due to advances in AI, according to research by the AI-Enabled ICT Workforce Consortium, which comprises Cisco, Accenture, Eightfold, Google, IBM, Indeed, Intel, Microsoft, and SAP.
Mid-level (40%) and entry-level (37%) positions will experience the most transformation as the demand for skills like AI ethics, responsible AI, rapid engineering, AI literacy and large language model (LLM) architecture grows. Meanwhile, traditional skills such as data management, basic programming, content creation, and documentation maintenance are expected to decline in relevance.
Yet there is much more that AI can’t replace, as we explored in-depth here. Attributes such as attention to detail, complex reasoning and creativity will become even more critical for tech jobs and ICT jobs, as LLMs cannot replicate the full context of knowledge that high-skilled professionals have developed over time. From a hiring perspective, employers must understand how to assess candidates for the skills that AI can’t replace. In the long term, however, investing in workforce training will also be wise.
For job seekers, opportunities are emerging to broaden and deepen their skills. Investing in upskilling and self-directed learning with your own projects is a good way to show you’re adapting to generative AI. Software architects, SysOps and DevOps engineers, and cyber security specialists all have the potential to grow their AI skills and become even more effective in their roles – and attractive to future employers.
Restructuring and Redesign
Restructuring and downsizing might not be a universal phenomenon, but in 2025, we could expect more organisations to make restructuring decisions in the face of unstoppable macroeconomic forces.
As Info-tech’s survey found, 89% of IT professionals recognise the need to redesign their organisation “to future-proof their operations and better align with evolving business demands”. Along with the impact of AI and skills shortages, Info-tech notes the rise of business-led IT will require “technical and cultural adjustments”.
These shifts will likely drive targeted hiring as companies identify new gaps in capabilities and initiate tech recruitment to find the people who can help them manage change. Restructuring may, therefore, be less about contraction and more about reconfiguration to seize emerging opportunities.
Returning to the Office
Along with AI, the debate about working from home could rank among the top tech hiring trends not just for 2025, but the decade! The tug-of-war about WFH shows no sign of abating, especially as there are sensible arguments for and against it.
Employers in Australia that have issued ‘return to the office mandates’ include Amazon, Tabcorp, NAB (and the other Big Four banks in varying degrees), along with the NSW, WA and Tasmanian governments. Sure, these directives have fuelled much public debate. But what do they mean by hiring?
The answer is that “it depends”. In 2025, the need to balance organisational priorities with employee and candidate expectations will certainly continue, if not intensify. Blanket policies for WFH or returning to the office will be less effective than making decisions at a more granular level. Employers will need to determine how an in-office policy will affect their ability to attract talent for certain positions and weigh this up against factors like team cohesion, collaboration and communication. Other issues to consider are whether a work from home policy or return to the office mandate impacts inclusivity for employees and candidates with caregiving responsibilities, disabilities or other diverse needs.
Get Tailored Tech Recruitment Advice
That wraps up our highlights of the most influential IT hiring trends in 2025. From the rising importance of AI skills to organisational reshuffling, employers and professionals are preparing for a year of strategic shifts. Whether you’re a hiring manager or a tech professional searching for your next role, these trends will be shaping the opportunities and challenges of the year ahead.
To get ahead of the curve and plan effectively, the tech recruitment specialists at Exclaim IT can provide you with tailored advice to make the right hiring decision or career move. Get in touch for support today!
