Dive Brief:
- There’s growing demand across multiple sectors for employees who know how to create and manage artificial intelligence systems, according to research released Thursday from talent acquisition platform ICIMS.
- The tech roles with the most significant year-over-year job opening growth are computer programmers, up 35% since last year; software developers, up 28%; and database administrators, up 27%.
- The tech applicant pool is also getting younger, with candidates aged 18 to 24 now making up 54% of all applications, and workers aged 25 to 34 making up another 25% of the pool. “Together, they represent four out of five applicants, signaling strong early-career interest for tech roles,” the report said.
Dive Insight:
“The tech layoff headlines can be jarring, yet they mask an important shift: tech talent is moving from a handful of large providers into the broader economy,” Trent Cotton, head of talent insights at ICIMS, said in a statement.
For example, tech hiring in the healthcare and manufacturing industries is especially high right now, at 8% and 4% respectively since May 2025.
The report said that the overall talent pool hasn’t kept up with demand. ICIMS found that in May, U.S. job openings were up 9% year over year, but hiring was only up 1%. In addition, the number of applications fell 11% year over year.
“When applicant volume is shrinking, the fastest win is to unlock more value from candidates you already know,” Cotton said. “Treat silver medalists and near‑misses as a primary pipeline and keep them warm with simple, always‑on nurture.”
Front-line application volume fell 18% year over year, while openings grew 9%. ICIMS suggested that some of the declines could be a result of increased hiring in March but could also be a result of continuing labor supply challenges, misaligned skill sets and more competition.
“With fewer frontline candidates entering at the top of the funnel, recruiters are expected to meet ambitious hiring targets from a shrinking pool, forcing organizations to rethink how they source, attract and convert talent,” the report said.
An April report from ZipRecruiter found that 18% of recent graduates are intentionally applying for jobs they don’t plan to keep just to get a foothold. At the same time, they said they were applying to more jobs and getting fewer offers.
Meanwhile, The Conference Board reported this month that 75% of CHROs surveyed plan to concentrate their hiring on specific roles or functions, with only 1 in 4 looking to make broad hires across their company.