The pace of change in tech is accelerating - and our approach to skills, hiring, and workforce development needs to keep up.
I spend my days working with employers and partners who are navigating real transformation. They’re not just filling roles - they’re rethinking how talent is identified, supported, and retained in a landscape where skills evolve fast, and traditional career paths are no longer the norm.
Here's why I believe the future of tech talent lies in potential, inclusion, and lifelong learning.
The skills shift is real, and urgent
Let’s start with the big picture. Tech jobs are among the fastest-growing globally, with AI, big data, cloud computing, cyber security, and digital literacy leading the charge. By 2030, almost 60% of the global workforce will need some level of upskilling or reskilling.
This isn’t a far-off scenario. It’s happening now - and organisations that treat skills development as a core business priority, not a side project, will be the ones that thrive.
One of the most exciting shifts we’re seeing is a move away from rigid qualification-based hiring toward a skills-first approach. More employers are asking: What can this person actually do? How quickly can they learn?
This opens doors for people pivoting into tech from other industries, for returners, and for those who may not have a traditional tech background. Initiatives like recruit, train, deploy and flexi-job apprenticeships are proving how powerful it is to hire for potential and train for impact.
Inclusion and social mobility can’t be an afterthought
Diversity in tech remains a persistent challenge, particularly for women, people from ethnic minority backgrounds, and those without traditional academic credentials. Yet we know that diverse teams consistently drive better outcomes, innovation, and resilience.
But inclusion isn’t just about who we hire - it’s about how we hire, onboard, and support people once they’re in the door.
True inclusion means rethinking the entire journey, we need to consider:
How flexible and accessible our entry routes are
How inclusive and fair our assessments feel
How welcoming and supportive our onboarding processes are
How we invest in development, mentoring, and peer networks that extend beyond day one
This is how we move beyond buzzwords and make social mobility real. Systems need to be designed that don’t just open doors, but help people walk through them and thrive.
Supporting early-career tech talent in a hybrid world
The challenges facing early career professionals in today’s remote-first tech landscape aren’t just operational they are cultural too. While flexible work has become the norm, the infrastructure to support those early on in their careers hasn’t kept pace. And that’s not something a line manager or HR team can fix alone.
To truly support early-career talent, many organisations need a mindset shift, one that needs to start at the top. Senior leaders must recognise that:
Remote onboarding isn’t enough, it needs to be paired with intentional development pathways
Mentorship can’t be left to chance, it must be built into the culture and structure of teams
Inclusion means access to learning, not just access to a job
Without this shift, we risk creating a two-tier workforce: one where experienced professionals thrive in remote environments, while early-career talent is left behind.
Supporting junior tech professionals isn’t just about doing the right thing, it’s also a strategic imperative. These individuals are the future of your organisation. Investing in their growth, confidence, and connection to your mission pays dividends in innovation, retention, and long-term capability.
Tech in recruitment
AI is transforming recruitment - from automated CV screening to interview scheduling. Done well, it can speed up processes and even reduce bias.
But here’s the caveat: technology should be a tool, not a gatekeeper. We need to ensure fairness, transparency, and above all, that human judgment stays at the heart of hiring.
In today’s world of work, hiring is only half the battle. In a competitive market, retention is everything. People want to grow, learn, and be challenged. That means consistent upskilling - not just for your tech teams, but across the organisation.
We’ve seen warehouse operatives become data analysts. Contact centre agents upskill into software testers. This kind of cross-functional talent development is powerful and often more cost-effective than external hiring.
What’s working for employers right now?
Forward-thinking employers are reimagining how they define, develop, and retain talent - placing greater value on potential over pedigree. There’s a clear shift toward hiring for capability, mindset, and adaptability, rather than relying solely on CVs or formal qualifications.
This skills-first approach is opening doors for a broader range of people, including career changers, returners, and those from non-traditional backgrounds. Employers embracing this mindset are tapping into wider talent pools and building more resilient, future-ready teams.
Crucially, the focus doesn’t stop at the point of hire. The most effective organisations are investing in continuous learning through formal training, micro-skills development, and on-the-job experience. On top of this, there’s a growing recognition that training talent to fit the role and culture is often more effective than waiting for the ‘perfect’ person to appear.
Structured mentoring is also proving essential, especially for early-career professionals and those transitioning into tech, providing the guidance and confidence needed to succeed.
Organisations that embed inclusion into the design of their hiring and onboarding processes (not just in policy but in practice) are seeing higher retention and better performance. And by collaborating with training partners and workforce solutions providers, they’re building more joined-up, futureproof pathways into tech.
While recruitment tech and data are helping streamline the recruitment and onboarding process, the best results still come when that’s balanced with genuine human connection and a commitment to long-term development.
Shaping the future
The future of tech talent is flexible, inclusive, and built on continuous learning. But it won’t build itself. It requires commitment to new thinking, new strategies, and to designing pathways that unlock potential in all its forms.
At Reed Talent Solutions, we’re proud to be helping employers do just that. Because while technology is changing how we work, it’s still people, and the choices we all make that shape the future.
In the rapidly changing world of work, many organisations are facing skills gaps, where they can’t find people with the skills they need. This can lead to staffing gaps, pressure on other employees, and disruption to customers. Find out more about our future skills solutions that will help you tackle your challenges.
