Tech Hiring: Where Demand Is Soaring and Gaps Are Growing

The technology hiring landscape is no longer defined by hype, it’s defined by delivery. Across AI, cloud, and infrastructure, companies are pulling back on experimenting; they’re executing. And that shift is revealing not just where demand is heating up, but where critical talent shortages are beginning to appear. 

Drawing on real-time insights from our recruitment teams across the UK, Europe, and the US, this regional snapshot explores the most in demand roles, widening talent gaps, and where the smartest businesses are investing. 

United States 

The US remains the most aggressive global market for tech hiring, especially within AI and commercial cloud delivery. It’s not just the big names moving fast; scale-ups and VC-backed firms are fuelling demand across both technical and go-to-market (GTM) roles. 

In-demand roles: 

Talent gap trends: 

While US employers are offering premium compensation and equity to attract global talent (including remotely), they’re also facing internal friction. Visa delays, onboarding challenges, and fierce competition mean time-to-hire is critical. When companies hesitate, they lose candidates to faster-moving rivals. 

VC-backed firms in the US are snapping up AI and cybersecurity talent faster than corporates can schedule second interviews. The speed of decision-making is a market advantage in itself.
 

Europe 

Across Germany, Switzerland, and the Nordics, demand is rising steadily, especially in AI implementation and enterprise tech modernisation. However, the pace of digital transformation is starting to outstrip available skills. 

In-demand roles: 

Talent gap trends: 

Businesses are investing in upskilling, but candidate pipelines aren’t keeping up with emerging specialisms. Prompt engineering, AI compliance, and security-first infrastructure roles are particularly difficult to source locally. 

In regions like DACH, technical roles linked to specific transformation milestones are in highest demand. The challenge? Finding candidates with both depth and adaptability to keep up with evolving project needs. 

United Kingdom 

The UK continues to produce high-quality technical candidates, especially in software engineering, cloud, and AI. But sluggish investment and prolonged hiring cycles are holding back market momentum. 

In-demand roles: 

Talent gap trends: 

The challenge isn’t availability, it’s mobility. Many top UK candidates are being headhunted by US and EU firms offering better packages, faster decisions, and fully remote flexibility. Meanwhile, hiring locally is slowed by risk aversion and drawn-out internal approvals. 

UK talent is there, but it’s being lost to international employers moving faster and offering more. Without a shift in pace, the UK risks becoming a net exporter of tech skills. 

Where do we go from here? 

The global tech hiring market is becoming less forgiving, and more competitive, by the day. Employers with a clear sense of purpose, a streamlined hiring process, and regionally tailored value propositions are winning the race for talent. 

Three takeaways for international hiring success: