Why IT demands unique talent strategy

IN today's digital economy, access to the right people has become as critical as access to the right technology. Yet, securing top IT talent has never been harder.

- MARK MCKERR

A recent Bain & Company survey found that 44% of executives cite the growing artificial intelligence (AI) talent gap as a major barrier to innovation, while LinkedIn's 2025 Workplace Learning Report shows that less than half of applicants for technical roles meet the baseline requirements.

The reality is stark: the pace of technological change is outstripping the availability of skilled professionals - and organisations that fail to rethink their talent strategies risk being left behind.

Recruitment matters

A poor hiring decision in IT can result in systems that fail under pressure, spiralling costs or catastrophic breaches that damage both reputation and revenue.

And unlike many other professions, IT is not static. Job descriptions can change significantly within 18 months and skills that were in demand last year may already be outdated - and traditional recruitment models often cannot keep pace.

Generalist recruiters might struggle to differentiate between a candidate who has genuine technical depth and one who merely "talks the talk". Specialist IT recruiters, by contrast, bring deep technical literacy, market insight and established professional networks. They know the difference between a developer who understands microservices in theory and one who has deployed them successfully at scale.