Tech hiring intentions are down despite demand for tech-oriented skills, report says

Dive Brief:

• Tech hiring is moderating at the beginning of 2026 — not because of a lack of demand, but because employers are reconsidering how they plan to access tech skills, according to Experis’ Tech Talent Outlook report released last week.
• Tech employers in the U.S. reported a Net Employment Outlook — calculated by subtracting the percentage of employers anticipating staff reductions from those planning to hire — of 33% for Q1 2026, a 10-percentage-point decline from last quarter and a 19-point drop year over year, Experis said.
• To find the skills they need, employers are instead turning to upskilling and reskilling current employees, though just over a quarter said they aim to target new and underrepresented talent pools. Employers also said they intended to increase pay to remain competitive.

Dive Insight:

Experis, a ManpowerGroup company, noted that tech companies are changing their hiring approach to obtain specialized skills.

“What we’re seeing is a move from broad, volume hiring to precision hiring,” Kye Mitchell, president of Experis U.S., said in a statement. “The competition for high-impact tech talent is as strong as ever.”

More than 90% of companies surveyed in a recent Resume.org report said they planned to hire workers in 2026, with 44% saying they seek workers who can learn new tools and technologies quickly. Additionally, companies are “hiring aggressively” for certain functions tied to revenue and transformation, Resume.org’s head of career advising said in the report.

Hiring, generally, has become more selective as companies adjust their processes to accommodate tech transformation, Resume.org’s report said. 

Tech workers have reported some difficulty in landing jobs, however, according to a HackerRank report from April 2025. The disconnect — since employers report difficulty hiring them — lies in how companies approach workforce planning overall, the report said, particularly retention and worker development.