The talent market entering 2025 is defined by two parallel forces: the explosive rise of AI-driven roles and a growing insistence from companies to “hire right, not fast.” As organizations accelerate their adoption of advanced data capabilities, they are encountering unprecedented pressures — from intensifying competition for senior specialists to a widening gap between the roles companies think they need and the skills the market can actually supply. The result is a landscape where precision matters more than volume, and where businesses must balance innovation with sustainable, people-centered hiring strategies.
To help unpack these dynamics, we spoke with Francisco De Freitas Carvalho, Director of Recruiting at AgileEngine. With deep experience recruiting across the technology spectrum, Francisco leads the company’s strategic, data-driven recruiting operations. His approach blends technology-driven recruiting with a strong emphasis on candidate experience and meaningful human engagement. Read on to explore his unique perspective on what companies must do to build resilient, high-performing teams in 2026 and beyond.
HR and recruitment trends for 2026
- What challenges are companies likely to face in talent acquisition and retention in 2026?
The competition for senior AI and data talent continues to intensify. Salary, project duration, and engagement remain decisive retention factors. The best engineers regularly receive new offers, so building long-term alignment and meaningful engagement is critical.
- Which skills and profiles will be in high demand, and how will this affect companies’ hiring plans?
AI engineers, data experts, and DevOps professionals lead the demand. AI can automate a lot of junior-level tasks, so companies are prioritizing senior talent, bringing in mid-level engineers only when supported by experienced leads. The focus has shifted from hiring fast to hiring right.
- What advice would you give companies looking to ensure their tech teams are prepared for 2026?
Invest equally in AI and in people. Encourage internal innovation, foster leadership, and maintain a strong culture. Human skills and understanding of your product and indutry still outweighs what intelligent automation can do — and will continue to outweight it in the foresseable future. Right now, a common pitfall is hiring “AI experts” without clearly defining what the company truly needs.
- With the rise of AI, new roles are emerging, but finding qualified candidates can be challenging. What’s your opinion on this, and how can AE help overcome this challenge?
We act first as consultants. Before recruiting, our Engineering team assesses each client’s needs and technical goals to define realistic roles and deliverables. This approach, powered by data and human expertise, ensures faster pipelines, more precise matches, and stronger partnerships.
- How has the number of AI-related job openings evolved over the past year? What trends or patterns can we observe in this growth?
Demand for AI experts continues to rise, and requirements are becoming increasingly specialized, pinpointing very specific skill sets. AgileEngine is leading this evolution by focusing on consulting and identifying actual needs rather than simply recruiting “AI experts” just to catch up on the hype.
- What does the current market for AI specialists look like? Is there a talent shortage, and how are companies adapting to it?
AI talent is in high demand, and the market still lacks the number of experts required to meet it. The shortage doesn’t stem from a lack of applicants, but rather from the combination of skills needed. Companies are adapting by moving away from the “jack-of-all-trades” profile toward building teams with complementary expertise.
- You mentioned the demand for senior specialists is the highest? How feasible is it today for a junior AI specialist to find employment?
The market has become more challenging for junior specialists across specializations because companies seek to centralize skills and responsibilities in fewer roles, which requires prioritising senior and lead engineers. Budgetary constraints in the IT industry have driven the need for faster ramp-ups and immediate value delivery. As a result, hiring professionals who can “hit the ground running” is more preferable, even if it requires more extended search and vetting processes.
That being said, there still are open junior-level positions. Talented individuals with strong technical training and solid skills will always be in demand, even though the competition may be tougher.
- Which technologies are currently most popular in AI development? Have any new tools or frameworks emerged, and how has AI adoption influenced these trends compared to previous years?
Interest in TensorFlow remains, though it has descreased, while PyTorch has become one of the most dominant deep learning frameworks. The rise of large language models (LLMs) is driving demand for scalable infrastructure, making expertise in Azure, GCP, and AWS essential. These technologies will likely to remain must-haves for AI engineers moving forward.
- From AgileEngine’s perspective, how has AI been integrated into our hiring process?
Our propritary platform LaunchPod enables us to process thousands of applications efficiently, giving every candidate a fair chance if they meet the requirements. It allows recruiters to focus on building relationships and streamlining processes with the most suitable candidates, benefiting clients’ needs while removing luck from the equation. Candidates no longer depend on being in the right place at the right time to be seen.
- What impact has this had on our recruitment outcomes?
This approach has reduced the average days to fill positions from 32 in 2023 to 23 by Q3 2025. Likewise, days to first submission dropped from 18 in 2023 to 8 in 2025, thanks to intelligent automation and process optimization.
- Looking ahead, what are the forecasts and strategic plans for the coming year? How do we expect the demand for AI talent and technologies to evolve in 2026?
Our focus remains on developing our own AI infrastructure to better leverage our talent pool. We aim to improve candidate experiences and deliver value to clients faster by expanding applicant reach without being bottlenecked by human capacity.
As demand continues to rise with no sign of slowing down, we expect companies in 2026 to be better educated about their AI needs and to adopt more realistic expectations. 2025 was the year most companies hired their “AI champion.” In 2026, we anticipate growing demand for mid-level engineers to support these leads within established AI teams that can ramp up quickly.
Conclusion and key takeaways
As companies prepare for 2026, one theme stands out: success in AI will depend as much on people as on technology. Demand for senior specialists remains high, roles are becoming more specialized, and organizations are recognizing the need for clear expectations and well-structured teams rather than all-in-one profiles.
AgileEngine’s consulting-led approach — from precise role scoping to data-driven recruiting and faster pipelines — shows how businesses can adapt to this new reality. Feel free to get in touch with our experts to explore how these shifts can shape your tech hiring strategy and product roadmap — and how AgileEngine can help you build the teams that deliver maximum impact.
