Pay and flexible working top the list of things that experienced hires are after – and if you can’t offer both, then you’ll need to consider lowering your expectations in a competitive market.

The Big Two: pay and flexibility 

Job seekers in tech have spoken: the most important priorities for tech candidates are compensation (yes, pay), followed by flexible working arrangements. 

The ‘Big Two’ factors are also ranked the fastest-growing priorities year over year, according to LinkedIn’s recent research, The Future of Recruiting 2023.

So, the thorny issue of pay – the one thing you were never supposed to mention at an interview – is now the key thing people are looking to know upfront. That, followed by the expectation that they can be fully remote if they want to be.

Why are employers reluctant to talk about pay?

Very few employers like to get out there and say “we pay great salaries.” Of course, everyone thinks that they offer above the market average, but few lead with it. Why? 

Because generally, most businesses don’t want to hire people who they perceive are motivated solely by money, because, in their mind, they’re harder to keep happy. And that’s why traditionally, job ads follow the same predictable structure: company size, clients, tech stack, and a touch of benefits (progression plans and training). But pay? That’s usually left until the second interview, by which both sides may be wasting their time.

Changing priorities, challenging times

So why are pay and flexible working driving the market? Two reasons.
On the pay front – it’s pretty obvious. We’ve got a cost of living crisis. Rising inflation, stagnating real wages. Job seekers literally can’t afford to be coy about what they can expect from their wage packet.

Flexible working, on the other hand, is a hangover from the pandemic. Hires, especially experienced ones, have grown used to a new way of working and they’re unwilling to go back, certainly not in the way they were used to.

Why it matters to employers

Frankly, if you’re not offering the ‘big two’ as an employer, you’re not just slightly behind, you’re way behind – to the point where you might not even be shown CVs for experienced hires. And that’s an issue, when you’re trying to recruit and keep people. It’s an issue for all sectors, of course, but it’s particularly prevalent in tech because the demand for skills is so high. 

In tech, hires can afford to be picky

While some companies are forcing people back to the office, in tech, employees can afford to be picky. In a sector where people are being approached once, twice a week for their skills: there’s always someone, somewhere who can offer better money and better flexibility. If you’ve got a loyal tech employee, then you’ve done something right; they’re working with you because they want to be there. 

Can’t offer more? There is an alternative.

We get that not all companies are in a position to offer high or better salaries, and not all companies are able, or willing, to offer flexible working. Assuming you don’t want to go offshore, there’s one way around that. 

Hire people who are less experienced and/or more junior than you would’ve considered. 

This can work, and here’s why: junior candidates are more likely to want to come into the office. They’re less likely to have family duties, which are a real benefit to home workers. Going into the office four days a week doesn’t require major adjustments in their personal lives to accommodate. Of course, juniors will still look to their peers and see flexible working happening there and would likely expect at least one day from home, so you’ll need to factor this into your offer, too.  

Want great hires? Think pay & flexibility first

In a nutshell: if you want experienced candidates, then a good salary and significant flexibility in working hours are an absolute must. If you haven’t, then by definition, you’re automatically shopping in a junior market.

As we move into 2026, organisations across industries are integrating artificial intelligence deeper into products, services, and ways of working. This shift is reshaping hiring priorities, meaning recruiters and resourcing teams are now looking for a blend of technical know-how, strategic thinking, and human-led oversight when filling AI-related roles. Understanding the key skills employers want can help hiring managers target the right talent and help professionals prepare for the most relevant opportunities.

1. Machine Learning Fundamentals and Model Understanding

Machine learning remains the core of most modern AI systems. Employers are looking for people who understand how models learn from data, how to evaluate their accuracy, and how to tune them for better performance. This skill isn’t just for specialists; even non-technical team members benefit from knowing the basics of supervised and unsupervised learning if they work with data-driven systems. Sources indicate that recognising how models work helps teams interpret outputs more wisely and collaborate better with technical leads.

2. Prompt Engineering and AI Workflow Orchestration

As generative AI tools become embedded in workflows, knowing how to shape effective prompts and integrate AI into broader processes is becoming essential. Prompt engineering has evolved from simply asking questions to structuring multi-step workflows that automate tasks and connect tools, data, and decisions. Professionals who can turn AI from a standalone tool into a scalable, integrated part of business processes are increasingly in demand.

3. Data Literacy and Feature Engineering

AI systems are only as good as the data fed into them, so data literacy (the ability to clean, interpret, and structure data) is one of the most sought-after skills. Hiring teams want candidates who can work with imperfect datasets, reduce bias, identify meaningful features, and ensure that AI outputs are grounded in high-quality inputs. This skill cuts across many roles because data is the backbone of AI deployment.

4. AI Governance and Responsible AI Practices

With AI becoming embedded in products and processes, organisations are increasingly focused on ethical, transparent, and compliant use of these technologies. Skills that cover bias mitigation, explainability, model monitoring, and compliance frameworks are now part of core hiring criteria for AI teams. Understanding where AI fails or misbehaves is just as important as knowing how to build it.

“The AI talent market has experienced unprecedented growth in 2025, with job postings increasing 74% year-over-year according to LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends report. This surge comes despite broader tech industry layoffs, highlighting AI as a recession-resistant sector driving continued hiring.” – Hakia

5. Cloud and MLOps Infrastructure Skills

Deploying AI models at scale means understanding how to operate them reliably in production environments. This includes expertise with cloud platforms (such as AWS, Azure or GCP) and AI infrastructure tools that support continuous integration and deployment, monitoring, and version control of models. MLOps (machine learning operations) bridges engineering and operations to make AI systems reliable and robust for business use.

“Job postings mentioning Google Cloud rose from about 3 % to over 5 % in a year, while AWS mentions increased from over 12 % to nearly 14 %. Companies are migrating workloads and need engineers comfortable with containers, microservices and serverless functions.” – Cogent University

6. Programming Languages and Framework Fluency

Technical fluency remains a foundation. Languages like Python dominate AI roles, given their versatility and extensive libraries for machine learning and data analysis. Frameworks such as PyTorch and TensorFlow are widely used, and familiarity with them helps engineers build and refine AI systems efficiently. Recruiters often screen for this fluency because it signals readiness to contribute from day one.

7. Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Multimodal Skills

Ability in NLP (making machines understand and generate human language) continues to be a high-value skill as chatbots, virtual assistants, and conversational AI grow more common. Beyond text, multimodal skills that enable AI to work across text, images, audio, and more are becoming increasingly relevant for interactive and immersive user experiences.

8. Recommendation Systems and Personalisation Expertise

AI isn’t only about understanding data; it’s also about tailoring experiences. Recommendation systems help personalise content, products, and interactions for users, driving engagement and growth in sectors like e-commerce, media and SaaS platforms. Professionals who know how to design and tune these systems can make measurable business impact.

“Jobs requiring experience working with ‘recommendation systems’ offer the highest median salaries.” – Yiba

9. Distributed Systems and Performance Optimisation

Modern AI applications often run on distributed systems that must handle heavy loads and deliver responses in real time. Understanding how to design efficient distributed architectures and optimise performance helps organisations scale AI work without crippling latency or cost overruns. This skill is especially relevant to high-performance computing and large user bases.

10. Strategic Thinking and Change Management

Technical skills are crucial, but organisations increasingly recognise the importance of strategic and people skills in making AI initiatives succeed. Professionals who can guide cross-functional collaboration, manage organizational change and align AI projects with business outcomes are increasingly valuable. These higher-order skills help ensure AI delivers real value rather than becoming siloed or underutilized.

What This Means for Hiring and Resourcing in 2026

Hiring teams in 2026 are looking for more than just technical expertise. They want individuals who can bridge business needs and AI capabilities, support ethical and responsible use, and integrate AI into real-world workflows. As AI continues to transform roles and industries, building talent strategies around these ten skills can help organisations attract, retain, and grow the right people.

As we move through 2026, the technology job market is shifting in ways that matter for hiring, resourcing, and planning ahead. Some roles that looked promising a few years ago have now become core to business strategy, while organisations are investing more in skills that help them stay resilient, competitive and ready for change.

Based on current hiring trends and labour market demand, five tech roles stand out as the most sought after this year, and they reveal a lot about where teams are focusing their energy.

1.    Cybersecurity Engineer / Analyst: Security First, Always

One of the most persistent trends heading into 2026 is the demand for cybersecurity talent. As organisations embrace digital transformation and expand their cloud, mobile, and data-driven platforms, the importance of securing systems has never been greater. Job postings and industry insight consistently show that cybersecurity analysts and engineers are topping demand lists, with organisations prioritising skills in threat detection, secure architecture, and incident response.

Growing breaches, regulatory pressure, and the need for proactive protection mean that teams need specialists who can help shape safer delivery pipelines and reduce risk across the organisation. This demand reflects a broader pattern where security expertise is becoming foundational rather than optional.

“As AI becomes embedded across industries, it’s driving expansion in cybersecurity, data sharing and a new generation of hybrid roles that combine technical skill, strategic judgement and ethical awareness.” – LSE

2.    Cloud Engineer / Cloud Architect: Building the Backbone of Digital Services

Cloud computing remains central to modern IT strategy, and with nearly all new workloads projected to run on cloud-native platforms, engineers who can design, manage and optimise cloud infrastructure continue to be in hot demand. Cloud engineers and architects are expected to be well-versed in AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform, hybrid configuration, and performance/cost optimisation.

For hiring teams, this means planning ahead for professionals who can help organisations scale securely and efficiently, especially as workloads move further away from on-premise models and more into distributed, multi-cloud ecosystems. Organisations are looking for candidates who can translate business needs into cloud strategy, manage migrations, and build resilient systems that support ongoing growth.

“Cloud skills appear in 85% of tech job postings, making them virtually mandatory for modern developers.” – Hakia

3.    DevOps Engineer / Platform Specialist: Enabling Fast and Reliable Delivery

Another role gaining momentum in early 2026 is the DevOps engineer, often paired with platform engineering responsibilities. While DevOps has been a well-established discipline for some time, the focus has shifted toward combining delivery speed with stability and quality. Teams are hiring DevOps and platform engineers who can build and maintain CI/CD pipelines, automate infrastructure, and support continuous delivery practices.

These skills are crucial for organisations that want to remove bottlenecks between development and operations, foster collaboration across teams, and ensure that new features and updates reach users quickly without sacrificing reliability. DevOps expertise also aligns closely with hybrid cloud and microservices environments, making it a versatile and strategic addition to modern IT teams.

4.    Data Engineer / Analytics Specialist: Turning Data Into Competitive Advantage

Data remains a driving force in how businesses make decisions, spot patterns, and optimise performance. Specialised data engineers and analytics professionals are in high demand because they enable organisations to collect, clean, transform, and action complex datasets. Data engineering roles often support real-time analytics, data lakes, warehouse strategy, and the infrastructure needed to power machine learning or business intelligence.

Hiring and resourcing teams are prioritising these skills because companies of all sizes now rely on data proficiency to inform strategy, from operations and financial planning to customer experience and product development. These roles often sit at the intersection of technology, business insight, and strategic decision-making.

“The WEF ranks analytical thinking as the top core skill, while the CIO study shows analysis skills were required in over 19 % of tech postings in 2024 and over 21 % in 2025. Data science careers are expected to grow 34 % over the next decade.” – Cogent University

5.    UX / Human-Centred Design Roles: Making Technology Work for People

Finally, UX (user experience) and human-centred design roles have risen in importance as organisations emphasise adoption, usability, and customer satisfaction. Although UX roles are sometimes overshadowed by more technical specialisations, they are increasingly in demand because software success now depends on intuitive interfaces and user journeys that help customers realise value quickly. Hiring teams are looking for UX professionals who can collaborate with product management, engineering, and business stakeholders to ensure experiences are clear, accessible, and aligned with strategic goals.

As the tech landscape becomes more competitive and user expectations rise, investing in UX talent helps organisations retain customers and reduce friction in digital interactions.

What This Means for Hiring in 2026

The common thread across these five roles is that they are not just technical jobs, but roles that tie directly to business outcomes. Cybersecurity protects trust and continuity. Cloud architects build the flexible platforms modern companies rely on. DevOps and platform specialists help teams move faster with confidence. Data engineers turn information into insight. UX designers make technology usable and valuable for people.

From a resourcing perspective, this means planning beyond surface job titles and considering how these roles interact with strategy, delivery, risk, and customer satisfaction. Organisations that align hiring with these priorities will be better positioned to adapt to change, innovate safely, and build products that users actually want to use.

When most people hear “blockchain,” they think of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. But in 2026, organisations are increasingly exploring blockchain for applications outside of digital money, especially where security, transparency, identity, and trust matter. This broader adoption matters not just to technology teams, but also to hiring and resourcing leaders who are planning future capabilities.

Blockchain is being used to support secure digital identities, build transparent supply chains, verify product origin (provenance), and even manage enterprise compliance in new ways. These emerging use cases are creating demand for specialised skills and new kinds of roles in IT and operations teams.

“This shift reflects a broader understanding that blockchain is not merely a financial tool, but a transformational business platform.” – WebcomSystems

Supply Chain Transparency and Provenance Bring New Skills into Play

One of the clearest examples of blockchain outside cryptocurrency is in supply chain management and product provenance. Enterprises are using distributed ledgers to create tamper-proof records of goods as they move from raw materials to the finished product delivered to customers. This not only improves traceability and accountability, but also enhances compliance with regulations and helps brands prove ethical sourcing.

For hiring leaders, this trend translates into opportunities and challenges. Organisations need people who understand how to integrate blockchain with existing enterprise systems, how to ingest data from sensors or partners, and how to interpret and use immutable records for real-time decision making. Skills in blockchain architecture, distributed systems engineering, and integration with IoT or ERP platforms are increasingly valuable.

Digital Identity and Decentralised Verification

Another blockchain use case beyond crypto is secure digital identity, often called self-sovereign identity (SSI). Instead of storing credentials in centralised databases (which are high-risk targets for breaches), blockchain lets individuals and organisations hold and verify identity credentials cryptographically. This means better privacy, reduced fraud, and greater control for users.

For resourcing teams, identity use cases create demand for people who understand decentralised identifiers (DIDs), verifiable credentials (VCs), cryptography, and privacy-preserving systems. These are not typical skills on every IT resume, so organisations often find they need to invest in training, cross-skilling, or targeted recruitment to build teams capable of delivering secure identity solutions.

“By 2025, over 20 million citizens in countries like Estonia and Singapore use blockchain-based IDs for government services, per a 2025 World Bank report.” – Webiii3

Provenance and Anti-Counterfeiting

Blockchain’s ability to record an asset’s entire history (who touched it, when, and how it changed) is known as provenance. This is valuable in industries where authenticity is crucial: pharmaceuticals, luxury goods, electronics and industrial materials all use blockchain to track provenance and thwart counterfeit products.

This trend matters for recruiting because organisations need professionals who can build interfaces between business users and distributed ledgers, design data models that are both efficient and secure, and ensure that blockchain systems work reliably with external partners.

Tokenisation and New Business Models

Beyond identity and supply chain, blockchain enables tokenisation, the representation of real-world assets as digital tokens on a ledger. This can make assets like real estate, commodities or intellectual property easier to trade, divide or manage. This capability is seen spreading into corporate finance and operations, creating demand for roles that blend blockchain engineering with financial systems knowledge.

From a staffing perspective, bridging traditional business functions with technical blockchain expertise requires hybrid profiles, people who understand both the business logic of assets and how to represent them securely on a distributed ledger.

“Tokenization, aka converting assets into digital tokens, results in fractional ownership, quicker fundraising, and global investor participation.” – Hyperlink InfoSystem

What This Means for Hiring and Resourcing

The broader uptake of blockchain beyond cryptocurrency has several important implications for hiring and resourcing teams. Organisations are increasingly finding that blockchain initiatives require new competency areas that go beyond traditional software development. Roles focused on blockchain strategy, architecture, systems integration, and governance are becoming more relevant, particularly where decentralised identity, data provenance, and enterprise assurance are involved.

At the same time, the most in-demand profiles tend to be cross-functional. Professionals who understand security, cloud platforms, and distributed systems together are often more valuable than specialists who operate in only one domain. Many organisations discover that existing software engineers need additional training in cryptographic concepts, ledger design, and decentralised trust models to effectively contribute to blockchain projects.

Because enterprise blockchain use cases are still evolving, many teams are choosing to invest in internal upskilling rather than expanding headcount immediately. Structured training, pilot programmes, and partnerships with specialist vendors are common approaches to building capability while reducing delivery risk. Organisations that fail to plan for these skill requirements often end up reacting late, struggling to staff projects once timelines are already under pressure. This can delay adoption and undermine the very trust, transparency, and compliance benefits that blockchain is intended to deliver.

Conclusion

Blockchain’s reach has grown far beyond cryptocurrencies into practical, enterprise-focused use cases like secure identity, transparent supply chains, digital provenance, and tokenisation. These shifts are reshaping how IT and business teams operate and, equally importantly, how they hire.

For recruiters, IT leaders, and resourcing teams in 2026, understanding these trends and the associated skills is essential. The ability to plan and attract talent with blockchain architecture, decentralized identity, systems integration, and secure distributed systems expertise will make the difference between teams that deliver value and those that struggle with adoption.

Why Real-Time Data Is Gaining So Much Attention

In today’s fast-paced business environment, data no longer arrives in neat batches once a day or once a week. Instead, it flows continuously from sensors, apps, cloud platforms and customer interactions. Organisations that can capture and analyse that data as it happens (often called data streaming and real-time intelligence) are gaining an edge by making decisions faster, spotting opportunities earlier, and responding to problems before they grow. This shift is not just a technology trend; it’s reshaping how companies think about teams, skills and resourcing as we head into 2026.

“The increasing demand for instantaneous insights is fueling the adoption of streaming analytics solutions globally.” – GlobeNewswire

What Data Streaming Actually Means in Practice

At its core, real-time data streaming refers to the continuous flow of information through systems that can immediately process, analyse and act on data as it arrives. Platforms such as Apache Kafka, Apache Flink, AWS Kinesis and Azure Event Hubs are among the technologies that make this possible, and businesses are investing in these tools to unlock live insights that drive operations, customer experience, and innovation. For hiring teams, this trend means planning for new roles and skills that support these always-on data pipelines.

Why Organisations Are Moving Away from Batch Reporting

One of the biggest reasons interest in streaming analytics has grown so rapidly is that it supports faster, smarter decision-making. Instead of waiting for data to be collected, stored and processed overnight, organisations can monitor operations, customer behaviour, and market trends in real time, enabling more agile responses. A logistics firm, for example, can adjust delivery routes instantly based on live traffic data, and a financial institution can spot and block fraudulent transactions as they occur rather than after the fact. These capabilities are not just nice to have, they are increasingly part of how companies compete in sectors such as finance, retail, and telecommunications.

“It worked well when speed wasn’t critical. But in today’s hyperconnected world, where customer behaviors, transactions and machine signals evolve by the second, real-time data processing has become a competitive edge, not a luxury.” – OpsTree

The Impact on Teams and Ways of Working

For hiring and resourcing leaders, there are a few clear implications. Teams that built analytics around traditional batch reporting often relied on roles such as data engineers, BI analysts and database administrators focused on periodic reporting.

With real-time intelligence becoming more important, organisations now need specialists who can build and operate streaming data pipelines, integrate them with cloud infrastructure, and make live insights available to business stakeholders. Roles such as real-time data engineers, streaming architects, site reliability engineers (SREs) with event-driven system experience, and analytics engineers who understand continuous data workflows are increasingly in demand.

Another practical impact is on team planning and workload expectations. Building and maintaining real-time pipelines requires ongoing coordination between development, operations, security, and business analysts. Organisations that underestimate this hidden effort often find that project timelines slip or that teams are stretched thin caring for systems they don’t fully understand.

Hiring managers who recognise this early can proactively recruit or train teams with the right blend of skills, rather than reacting when delivery bottlenecks emerge.

“With stream analytics now being mission-critical, organizations put more emphasis on monitoring, auditing, and transparency. Tools that provide observability and track data lineage are becoming ever more important for compliance and long-term trust.” – Alibaba Cloud

Building Capability Through Hiring and Upskilling

Real-time intelligence also amplifies the need for cross-functional capability. Unlike batch analytics, which often sat with central analytics or IT teams, streaming data systems touch customer experience, risk, marketing and operations all at once. This necessitates people who can bridge technical and business domains, translating live data insights into actions that departments outside IT can understand and use.

Some organisations are also embracing cloud-native streaming analytics platforms to lower the operational burden. Managed services for streaming reduce the need for deep infrastructure expertise while still requiring strong data engineering and analytics capabilities so teams can focus on extracting value from the data rather than managing servers. Even so, recruiting for experience with these managed services and real-time data processing frameworks remains an important priority for IT leaders.

As demand for real-time data continues to grow, the skills organisations seek are evolving. Many are choosing to upskill existing staff in streaming technologies, while others are building dedicated real-time data teams. Either way, recognising the trend early allows hiring and resourcing teams to plan work fairly, budget for training where needed, and construct teams that can deliver live insights reliably.

Why This Trend Matters Going Into 2026

Data streaming and real-time intelligence are no longer experimental technologies. They are becoming part of how organisations operate day to day. For hiring managers, recruiters and IT leaders, this means planning ahead for the skills, roles and workloads required to support always-on data systems. Organisations that take a proactive approach are more likely to deliver reliable, insight-driven services, while those that ignore the resourcing impact risk falling behind despite investing in the right tools.

UX Is No Longer a “Nice to Have” in SaaS

Over the past year, hiring interest in UX skills, especially in Software-as-a-Service environments, has been steadily increasing. This renewed focus is not driven by flashy trends or design fads. Instead, it reflects a growing understanding that user experience has become central to how SaaS products succeed, retain customers, and generate long-term revenue. In crowded SaaS markets, where switching costs are low, poor usability quickly translates into churn. As a result, UX has shifted from a supporting function to a core business capability.

Industry commentary increasingly points out that organisations now compete on experience as much as functionality. This shift has pushed UX skills higher up the hiring priority list, particularly for companies trying to differentiate themselves in mature or highly competitive SaaS categories.

“Technology has become unavoidable in our daily lives—and where technology exists, design becomes the language that people interact with.” – LinkedIn

Why User Experience Directly Impacts SaaS Growth

SaaS products live or die by ongoing user engagement. Unlike one-off software purchases, subscription-based models rely on customers finding value quickly and consistently. Poor onboarding, confusing workflows, or clunky interfaces can cause users to disengage long before the product’s underlying capabilities are fully explored.

Research and industry reporting consistently show that well-designed user experiences improve retention, adoption, and conversion. This has made UX a commercial concern rather than just a design one. Many SaaS companies now see UX designers as contributors to growth, not just polishers of interfaces.

“Effective UI/UX design directly impacts the bottom line. A seamless, intuitive interface guides users toward key actions—signing up, purchasing, or subscribing—ultimately boosting conversions and revenue.” – Uplers

The Changing Shape of SaaS UX Work

Modern SaaS products are more complex than earlier generations of software. They often support diverse user roles, operate across multiple devices, and integrate with other platforms. As a result, UX work has expanded beyond visual design into areas like workflow optimisation, accessibility, personalisation, and behavioural insight.

Designers working in SaaS environments are increasingly expected to understand how users move through systems over time, not just how screens look in isolation. Trends such as adaptive interfaces, mobile-first design, and behaviour-driven personalisation are reshaping what good UX looks like and what skills hiring teams need to look for.

What This Means for Hiring and Resourcing Teams

From a resourcing perspective, this shift has important implications. UX roles in SaaS organisations now sit much closer to product strategy, customer success, and commercial decision-making. Hiring managers are no longer just looking for designers who can produce wireframes or mock-ups. They want people who can interpret user research, work closely with engineers and product managers, and explain design decisions in business terms.

This has also changed how candidates are assessed. Communication skills, stakeholder management, and the ability to balance user needs with technical and commercial constraints are becoming just as important as design craft. Recruiters increasingly favour candidates who can demonstrate impact, not just aesthetics.

“Hiring managers today are looking for designers who can operate across the design lifecycle—from research to wireframes to interactive prototypes. The most in-demand UX recruit skills 2025 go beyond basic UI tool use.” – Govt College of Art and Design

UX as a Cross-Functional Capability

Another reason SaaS UX hiring is picking up is that design no longer happens in isolation. UX professionals are now embedded in delivery teams that include engineering, data, marketing, and customer success. This requires designers who are comfortable working iteratively, handling feedback, and contributing throughout the product lifecycle.

For resourcing leaders, this means planning for UX capacity in a more integrated way. UX skills are needed not only at the start of product development, but throughout delivery, optimisation, and continuous improvement cycles. This sustained demand is driving more consistent hiring rather than sporadic design recruitment.

Why This Trend Is Likely to Continue Into 2026

As digital transformation continues across industries, SaaS products are becoming the default way organisations deliver services internally and externally. This increases the importance of intuitive, reliable, and user-centred design. Products that are powerful but difficult to use struggle to gain adoption, no matter how strong the underlying technology may be.

For hiring managers and resourcing teams, the takeaway is clear. SaaS UX skills are seeing renewed demand because they directly influence customer retention, product success, and business performance. Organisations that plan ahead for these capabilities are better positioned to build products people actually want to use, while those that treat UX as optional risk are falling behind despite heavy investment in technology.

The UK mergers and acquisitions landscape may be entering a period of structural change, particularly around how deals are being planned and executed. At first glance, news about regulatory consultations might sound like just another update in legal land. But when the UK government launches a formal consultation on reforming the merger control regime, it’s worth paying attention, especially if you’re hiring talent to support deal execution and integration.

The consultation, launched in January 2026, aims to make the UK’s competition framework more predictable, proportionate, and business-friendly, while retaining the Competition and Markets Authority’s independence. Proposals include changes to merger investigations to speed up decisions and offer clearer engagement with businesses and advisors.

“The consultation aims to make jurisdictional thresholds more predictable, enhance the CMA’s political accountability, and improve interactions between businesses and the regulator.” – Latham.London

From a headline perspective this might read like regulatory tinkering. In reality, it could slowly but meaningfully change how deals are structured, timed and staffed. Recruitment teams and hiring managers in M&A, project management, integration and change leadership roles should be thinking about how this might reshape demand for skills and timing of hires.

Why Regulatory Predictability Matters to Hiring

For years M&A professionals have told recruiters that one of the biggest bottlenecks in a deal isn’t valuation or strategy, it’s uncertainty around regulatory clearance timelines. Long or unpredictable merger control investigations can stretch planning horizons, delay resource planning and force hiring decisions to wait until “certainty” arrives. If the CMA’s process becomes more predictable and proportionate, that could help reduce one of the biggest unknowns in planning headcount for integration teams, HR transformation and post-deal execution.

“Our Strategy centres on promoting competition and protecting consumers with a clear end goal in mind: to drive economic growth and improve household prosperity.” – Gov.uk

This matters not just for lawyers and compliance specialists but for a whole ecosystem of talent: integration programme leads, PMO professionals, change management experts, and commercial HR partners. These are roles that often sit in the “execution” phase of a deal, but growing focus from buyers on early regulatory risk assessment means these functions are increasingly involved before signing. That early engagement drives demand for professionals who understand both commercial strategy and regulatory nuance.

M&A Activity Trends Still Suggest Opportunity

While volumes of deals dipped in some parts of 2025, deal value held up, especially in strategic, high-value segments. According to PwC, UK M&A activity saw fewer transactions in the first half of 2025, but average deal size rose and strategic sectors like financial services and technology remained active.

Market analysts for 2026 also point to ongoing consolidation strategies in mid-market deals and continued inbound investment saying that overall activity levels are likely to be similar to or higher than in 2025, thanks in part to sectors like software, AI-enabled businesses and private equity buy-and-build strategies.

“90% of our team predicts that dealmaking levels will be higher or broadly in line with 2025, and despite domestic caution, there is still significant dry powder within private equity and corporate balance sheets.” – PKF Smith Cooper

For hiring teams this means there’s demand where commercial strategy and execution intersect. Corporate development teams, private equity deal teams and advisory boutiques all look for people who can manage uncertainty and help execute with speed and confidence.

What This Means for Talent Demand

In a shifting regulatory environment, recruiters and hiring managers should be thinking about three key implications:

Firstly, hiring timelines are likely to extend if teams delay recruiting until after regulatory milestones. Firms that build bench strength in M&A project management and regulatory liaison roles will move faster and more confidently.

Secondly, professionals who can operate at the intersection of compliance, commercial strategy and execution will be especially valuable. This could be regulatory savvy PMO leads, integration directors who understand competition risk, or M&A lawyers comfortable guiding teams through complex multi-jurisdictional reviews.

Thirdly, uncertainty (even if reduced) still changes how deals move from intent to impact. Hiring teams should emphasise adaptability and cross-functional collaboration in role profiles, as deals in 2026 are likely to hinge on rapid assessment and execution across functions.

For Candidates: Why You Should Watch This

If you’re a professional in M&A, PMO, change leadership or integration, it’s worth watching how merger control reforms take shape. Talent demand often follows market friction points. When regulatory processes are seen as opaque or slow, firms tend to hoard seasoned advisors and regulatory specialists. If processes become clearer and more predictable, the emphasis might shift toward execution talent that can accelerate integration and deliver value quickly.

In other words, candidates who can bridge commercial outcomes with regulatory insight will stand out. And for hiring managers, defining roles that explicitly blend these skills will help attract this hybrid talent.

Final Thoughts

On the surface, regulatory reforms can seem dry. But when the UK government signals an intent to make merger investigations more predictable and proportionate, it’s not just legal teams that should pay attention. HR, integration, M&A operations and change leadership teams are directly affected by how deals are structured and cleared.

Deal activity may wobble in volume at times, but the ongoing need for strategic hires that can navigate uncertainty and aid execution means resourcing strategies need to evolve too. Organisations that anticipate these shifts and invest in the right talent early will be better placed to capitalise on growth and consolidation opportunities in the evolving UK M&A landscape.

Over the past few years, cloud adoption has become the default rather than the exception. Alongside that shift, the way software is built and released has also changed. Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment, better known as CI/CD, is now how most modern teams deliver software. What is changing in 2026 is the growing expectation that security is built directly into these pipelines, rather than added at the end.

This move towards secure cloud CI/CD practices is not just a technical trend. It is reshaping how organisations think about team structures, skills, and resourcing.

What Secure CI/CD Actually Means in Practice

At a simple level, secure CI/CD means making sure security checks happen automatically as part of building, testing, and deploying software. Instead of waiting for a separate security review after code is written, vulnerabilities are caught earlier through automated scanning, policy checks, and controlled release processes.

In cloud environments, this often includes checking infrastructure-as-code templates, scanning container images, managing secrets safely, and enforcing access controls inside the pipeline itself. The goal is not perfection, but reducing risk before issues ever reach production.

For hiring managers, the key point is that this work sits somewhere between traditional development, cloud engineering, and security. That overlap is where many teams are currently under-resourced.

“In software development, a CI/CD pipeline refers to the automated steps involved in building, testing, and deploying code changes. Hardening this pipeline involves implementing security measures and best practices to ensure the reliability and security of the software delivery process.” – CloudSecurityWeb

Why This Matters for Hiring and Resourcing

Many organisations still plan teams as if security is owned by a single, separate function. In reality, secure CI/CD spreads responsibility across developers, platform teams, cloud engineers, and security specialists. When this isn’t reflected in resourcing plans, teams either slow down delivery or quietly accept higher risk.

Hiring teams are increasingly looking for people who understand both automation and security, even if they are not “security engineers” by title. Developers who can work with secure pipelines, cloud engineers who understand policy enforcement, and DevOps professionals who can balance speed with control are all becoming harder to find.

This also affects workload planning. Security checks take time to design, maintain, and respond to. If organisations do not account for this invisible effort, delivery timelines often become unrealistic, leading to pressure on teams and rushed releases.

“Involving both security and development stakeholders in the tool selection process increased adoption and reduced resistance.” – eajournals

The Shift Away from After-the-Fact Security

One of the reasons interest in secure CI/CD is rising is that traditional, end-of-cycle security reviews no longer scale. Cloud systems change too quickly, and manual reviews struggle to keep up with frequent releases.

From a resourcing perspective, this means fewer last-minute fire drills but more ongoing, embedded work. Teams need people who are comfortable improving pipelines incrementally, tuning security checks, and working closely with development teams rather than acting as gatekeepers.

Organisations that invest in these skills early tend to see smoother releases and fewer surprises later. Those that don’t often find themselves hiring reactively after an incident or audit failure.

“Integrating security into CI/CD pipelines creates a synergy between development and security teams, ensuring that risks are identified and addressed early. This integration also enables organizations to pivot quickly in response to emerging threats. By embedding security tools and practices early in the process, teams can catch issues before they reach production, minimizing the risks of exploitation in live environments.” – DataCalculus

What Hiring Teams Should Be Planning for in 2026

Secure cloud CI/CD practices are no longer a niche concern. They are becoming a baseline expectation for mature cloud environments. Hiring strategies need to reflect that by valuing practical experience with secure pipelines, not just theoretical knowledge of security or automation.

This does not always mean hiring more people. In many cases, it means hiring differently, prioritising adaptable, cross-functional skills and allowing time for teams to build security into their delivery processes properly.

As cloud environments continue to grow in complexity, secure CI/CD is emerging as one of the clearest signals of whether an organisation’s delivery model is sustainable. For recruiters and IT leaders alike, understanding this shift is essential to building teams that can move fast without breaking trust.

Over the past five years, the UK tech labour market has changed in ways that are easy to miss if you only look at headline day rates or salary bands. While both permanent salaries and contractor rates have increased, they have not increased at the same pace. Permanent tech salaries in the UK have risen faster and more consistently than contractor rates, reshaping the cost comparison between permanent and contract hiring.

The result is a counterintuitive outcome for many hiring managers: contractors are now relatively more affordable than they have been for years, not because rates have fallen dramatically, but because permanent employment has become significantly more expensive.

Permanent Tech Salaries Have Risen Rapidly Since 2019

UK tech salaries have experienced sustained growth since around 2019, driven by long-term skills shortages and continued demand for digital capability. Software engineers, cloud specialists, data professionals, cybersecurity experts and AI practitioners have all seen upward pressure on pay, particularly at mid-to-senior levels.

Even during periods of economic uncertainty, employers have struggled to attract and retain experienced tech professionals without increasing salaries. Over time, these increases have become embedded into market expectations. What were once premium salaries for niche specialists are now closer to the norm across many permanent tech roles.

Importantly, base salary is only part of the cost. Employer National Insurance, pensions, benefits, bonuses and annual pay reviews have all added to the true cost of permanent employment. When viewed holistically, the total cost of a permanent tech hire in the UK has grown faster than many organisations anticipated.

“Mentions of technical skills within job adverts rose by 12 percent between 2024 and 2025, reinforcing the link between advanced capability and pay. Recruiters increasingly rank artificial intelligence and automation expertise as the most valuable capability when determining salary and progression, ahead of leadership or broader technical experience.” – HR Review

UK Contractor Rates Have Grown More Slowly

By contrast, UK contractor day rates have shown far more modest growth over the same period. While some highly specialised contract roles have seen increases, average contractor rates across much of the tech market have remained broadly flat in nominal terms.

Several factors have contributed to this. IR35 reforms changed how organisations engage contractors and reduced demand in some sectors. Economic caution led hiring managers to resist rate inflation. In certain markets, an increased supply of contractors limited upward pressure on rates. When inflation is taken into account, many contractors are effectively earning the same, or less, than they were several years ago.

“There are three main reasons why freelance computer contractor rates are down on prior years, and not just at Investment Management (IM) organisations. 1. The post-pandemic spike in activity has gone. 2. Budgets are tight, and 3. IR35 continues to warp the market.” – Free-Work

This divergence between salary growth and contractor rate growth is the key dynamic shaping today’s hiring economics.

Why Contractors Are Now Relatively More Affordable

From a hiring and resourcing perspective, the faster rise in permanent salaries has narrowed the cost gap between permanent and contract roles. While contractor day rates still appear high when compared directly to salaries, that comparison often ignores the full employment cost of a permanent hire.

Once pensions, taxes, benefits, long-term commitment and future salary inflation are factored in, contractors can be cost-competitive, particularly for specialist or time-limited work. In many cases, contractors now represent better relative value than they did five years ago, even if headline rates look unchanged.

Put simply, contractors haven’t become cheaper – permanent hiring has become more expensive.

“Contractors are a more attractive proposition than they once were due to the increased permanent employment costs. And job volume is increasing, as AI, Cyber, Data and Cloud projects are getting cautious green lights.” – ContractorUK, quoting Phil Dancey of IntaPeople

Flexibility and Risk Matter as Much as Cost

Cost is only one part of the decision. Contractors also offer flexibility at a time when many organisations remain cautious about long-term headcount growth. Projects still need to be delivered, transformations still need specialist skills, but committing to permanent roles carries greater financial and organisational risk than it once did.

Contract hiring allows organisations to scale teams up or down, access niche expertise quickly, and deliver defined outcomes without permanently increasing salary baselines. As permanent salary expectations continue to rise, this flexibility becomes an increasingly important part of workforce planning.

What This Means for UK Tech Workforce Planning

The traditional assumption that contractors are always the premium option no longer reflects market reality. Over the past five years, permanent tech salaries in the UK have risen faster than contractor rates, changing the cost dynamics of hiring.

This does not mean organisations should abandon permanent hiring. Long-term capability, leadership continuity and institutional knowledge still rely on permanent staff. However, it does mean that contractors can be used more strategically, not just as a stopgap, but as a rational and cost-effective component of a blended resourcing strategy.

The Bottom Line for Hiring Managers

UK tech salaries have increased significantly over the last five years. Contractor rates have not kept pace. That imbalance has quietly shifted the economics of hiring. For many organisations, contractors are now relatively more affordable than they have been in years when compared to the true, long-term cost of permanent employment.

For hiring managers, HR leaders and resourcing teams, this shift is worth paying close attention to. It changes how workforce decisions should be evaluated and opens the door to more flexible, financially sustainable hiring models in the UK tech market.

For much of the last decade, technology leadership was dominated by big ideas. Organisations looked for visionary CTOs and CIOs who could talk convincingly about digital transformation, innovation, and the future of technology. These leaders were often hired for their ability to inspire, challenge convention, and sell ambitious change programmes to boards and investors.

As we head into 2026, that preference is changing. Boards and executive teams are increasingly favouring pragmatic, delivery-focused, risk-aware technology leaders over those whose strength lies mainly in vision and hype. This isn’t because vision no longer matters, but because many organisations have learned, sometimes painfully, that vision without reliable execution creates more problems than progress.

Senior tech leadership roles are being assessed less on how bold the strategy sounds and more on whether leaders can deliver outcomes, manage risk, and keep the organisation stable while change is underway.

“Stop relying on technical deep dives. Ask how they’ve led through uncertainty, influenced non-technical stakeholders, or scaled delivery across teams and regions. Prioritise clarity, adaptability, and alignment with your business priorities.” – McGregor Boyall

Why Delivery Has Become the Priority

Over the past few years, organisations have faced constant pressure to change while also remaining operationally stable. Transformation programmes have grown larger and more complex, budgets are more tightly controlled, and tolerance for failed initiatives has dropped.

In this environment, boards want leaders who can turn strategy into something real. That means technology leaders who can build credible roadmaps, deliver in stages, and explain clearly what will be delivered, when, and at what risk. The appeal of bold promises has faded as many organisations are still dealing with the consequences of over-ambitious programmes that never quite landed.

DigitalDefynd’s industry research into CTO leadership styles shows a growing preference for leaders who prioritise execution, stakeholder alignment, and delivery discipline over experimentation for its own sake.

Risk Awareness Has Moved to the Centre of the Role

Technology risk is no longer a niche concern. Cyber security incidents, regulatory scrutiny, data protection failures, and system outages now reach board level quickly. As a result, boards expect technology leaders to be comfortable talking about risk in plain terms and managing it proactively.

Pragmatic tech leaders tend to be grounded in governance, assurance, and operational resilience. They understand that poorly managed change can expose the organisation to financial, legal, and reputational damage. Rather than pushing constant disruption, they focus on controlled progress and reducing avoidable risk.

This aligns with a wider trend in which technology leadership is seen as part of enterprise risk management, not separate from it. Boards increasingly want CIOs and CTOs who can work closely with finance, legal, compliance, and operations to keep the organisation safe while still moving forward.

The CIO and CTO Roles Have Matured

The expectations placed on senior technology leaders have broadened. Today’s CIOs and CTOs are expected to be business leaders first and technologists second. Their role now includes influencing executive decisions, managing complex stakeholder relationships, and ensuring technology investments deliver measurable value.

Organisations are prioritising leaders who can communicate clearly with non-technical executives, manage hybrid teams made up of employees, contractors and vendors, and stay accountable for outcomes long after the strategy deck is finished.

This has naturally shifted the balance away from purely visionary profiles and towards leaders who are comfortable owning delivery end to end.

Boards Want Fewer Big Promises and More Predictable Results

Innovation still matters, but the definition of innovation has changed. Boards are less interested in dramatic overhauls and more interested in steady improvement that delivers value without destabilising the organisation.

Leaders who can show progress in small, reliable steps are gaining trust. Incremental delivery, realistic timelines and honest reporting are valued more than ambitious targets that require constant revision. For many organisations, success now looks like systems that work, teams that aren’t burnt out, and change programmes that quietly deliver what they said they would.

This shift reflects a broader fatigue with hype-driven transformation narratives and a renewed focus on credibility and follow-through.

Vision Hasn’t Disappeared, It’s Been Rebalanced

The rise of pragmatic tech leadership doesn’t mean organisations no longer care about the future. What they are looking for instead are leaders who can balance long-term thinking with day-to-day delivery.

This kind of leadership is often described as ambidextrous: able to think strategically while also managing execution and risk in the present. Research into ambidextrous leadership highlights that organisations perform best when leaders can explore new opportunities without losing control of existing operations (O’Reilly and Tushman, widely cited in leadership research; overview available via Wikipedia, 2024).

In practice, this means tech leaders who can inspire change but are also comfortable saying no, slowing things down, or changing course when delivery risks grow too high.

A Shift With Long-Term Impact

The return of pragmatic tech leadership is not a backlash against innovation. It is a sign that organisations have matured in how they think about technology and change. After years of disruption, many are prioritising stability, delivery confidence and risk management alongside strategic ambition.

Boards and executive teams are asking a simpler set of questions than they once did. Can this leader deliver? Can they manage risk? Can they keep the organisation steady while change happens?

In 2026, the technology leaders who succeed are likely to be those who combine clear thinking, honest communication and dependable execution. They may be less visible than the visionaries of the past, but they are increasingly the ones trusted to lead.

Transformation is only as good as the people behind it. It isn’t driven by technology alone; it needs a human hand on the wheel – and a whole team to keep it running smoothly. 

Without a capable team in place, technology-focused projects tend to fail. Like most things in life, it requires maintenance and adaption to not only stay in a working condition but also remain relevant in an ever-changing environment. Continuous success stems from leadership, talent and organisational adaptability. A mid-sized enterprise could invest millions in modernization, only to stall because teams resisted or lacked the proper skills. 

Talent and Capability: The Foundation of Success 

According to McKinsey&Company, up to 50% of performance variability was linked to leaders and senior talent decisions. Placing the right people in leadership positions has a waterfall effect on the efficiency of subsequent hires and the quality of training they receive. 

It’s imperative that these people have some form of digital and data literacy that can bridge technology and business priorities across the organisation, rather than confining it to IT. This is essential to ensure that all future technological experiments and growth can run quickly and smoothly in various departments without the constant need for an IT team’s support beyond implementation. This reduces the time IT teams spend on menial consultations and frees them up for more dedicated and meaningful tasks that speed up the advancement of IT transformation. 

While the experimentation with technological advancements can have quite the ebb and flow, very heavy workloads and constant change can burn out high-performing team members and cause transformation fatigue. There’s a fine line between allowing the team the time to work out the kinks of a new idea and overworking them with something that simply isn’t settling into the organisation’s systems and getting stuck in the pilot. 

The goal is to allow technology to scale beyond IT while reducing team strain and avoiding burnout from stalled or excessive experimentation. 

Agile Teams and Collaboration 

Successful IT transformation increasingly depends on how well teams collaborate across departments. Agile ways of working are often discussed in terms of frameworks, but their real value lies in enabling faster learning, shared ownership, and clearer accountability. 

In many mid-sized organisations, teams remain structured around legacy silos, with development, operations, data, and the business operating as separate units. This fragmentation slows delivery and creates friction at handover points, where context is lost and responsibility becomes blurred. Agile team structures, by contrast, bring together cross-functional capabilities around shared outcomes, allowing decisions to be made closer to the work and reducing reliance on centralised escalation. 

Effective collaboration also requires a shift in mindset. Agile teams work best when trust replaces oversight and when progress is measured by outcomes rather than activity. Leaders play a critical role here: without psychological safety and clear priorities, agile practices can quickly devolve into surface-level rituals that add process without improving performance. 

Communication is another defining factor. Regular, structured touchpoints help teams stay aligned, but informal collaboration remains equally important. In hybrid environments, this often requires deliberate effort to ensure remote and in-office contributors are equally included in decision-making, rather than defaulting to proximity or hierarchy. 

When implemented well, agile collaboration reduces rework, shortens feedback loops, and allows organisations to adapt more effectively to change. More importantly, it creates an environment where teams can sustain transformation over time, rather than relying on bursts of activity that lead to fatigue or disengagement. 

“Successful transformation leaders build relationships across functions, align diverse stakeholders through shared outcomes and turn organizational silos into integrated teams.” – Forbes 

Developing the Workforce – Skilling, Upskilling, and Career Pathways 

As systems, tools, and ways of working evolve, the skills needed to support them must evolve too. Organisations that treat skills development as a one-off training exercise often struggle to keep up, while those that build learning into everyday work are better able to sustain change over time. 

Many organisations are now moving toward skills-led planning. Instead of relying on fixed job titles or outdated role descriptions, they focus on identifying the capabilities the business will need in the near future and then shaping roles, hiring, and development around those skills. Technical knowledge such as cloud platforms, security, and data management remains important, but it is no longer enough on its own. Teams also need strong collaboration skills and a clear understanding of how their work supports wider business goals. 

Developing the workforce is also about giving people room to grow. Clear career pathways and internal mobility help employees see how they can move into new roles as the organisation changes. When people understand how their current skills can lead to future opportunities, they are more likely to engage with transformation rather than resist it. This reduces the need for constant external hiring and helps retain valuable organisational knowledge. 

Just as important is creating a culture where learning feels safe and encouraged. Transformation works best when teams are able to experiment, share what they learn, and improve over time without fear of failure. Mentorship programmes, rotational roles, and hands-on learning initiatives all help make development part of day-to-day work rather than an added burden. 

Ultimately, investing in skills is not just about keeping systems running. It is about supporting people’s growth, maintaining engagement, and building a workforce that can adapt as the organisation continues to evolve. 

“In any large organization, job titles often serve as shorthand for performance expectations, skill requirements, and even personal identity. Yet these titles can be misleading when a person’s actual capabilities extend far beyond what their role suggests. At the same time, critical skill gaps can remain hidden when organizations rely solely on surface-level data.” – SAP 

Leadership Traits That Drive Transformation 

While a clear plan is important, it is leadership behaviour that determines how people respond to change. When organisations are navigating uncertainty, new ways of working, or shifting priorities, leaders play a key role in helping teams feel supported rather than overwhelmed. 

Emotional intelligence is one of the most important traits during periods of change. Transformation often brings pressure, uncertainty, and concern about the future. Leaders who take the time to listen, show empathy, and acknowledge challenges help build trust. When people feel understood, they are more likely to engage with change, share feedback, and adapt as needed. Without this trust, even well-intended initiatives can struggle to gain traction. 

Clear communication is just as important. Forbes research highlights soft skills such as storytelling, empathy, and cross-functional collaboration as critical to successful transformation. People want to understand why change is happening and how it affects them. Leaders who can explain the bigger picture in simple, relatable terms help teams see where they fit and why their work matters. 

Adaptability and resilience also matter. Transformation rarely goes exactly to plan, and leaders need to be comfortable adjusting direction, learning from setbacks, and empowering teams to make decisions when things are unclear. 

At its core, strong leadership creates stability during change, helping teams move forward with confidence rather than hesitation. 

“Korn Ferry’s Workforce 2025 Global Insights Report, which examined attitudes affecting employee sentiment, emphasized the growing need for leaders to be agile learners, inclusive visionaries, and tech-savvy innovators.” – Korn Ferry 

Avoiding Transformation Fatigue 

Even well-resourced initiatives can fail if teams experience sustained pressure without clear results. Transformation fatigue is a growing risk, particularly in mid-sized organisations where teams juggle ongoing operations with the demands of digital change. Burnout not only reduces productivity but also threatens retention and undermines the effectiveness of new technology adoption. 

The key is to balance experimentation with capacity management. Teams need time to work through pilots, integrate new tools, and refine processes without being overextended. Monitoring workload, providing support, and celebrating small wins helps maintain momentum and engagement. 

Structured rollout plans, phased adoption, and continuous feedback loops ensure that change is manageable and measurable. By preventing fatigue, organisations protect their most critical asset, the workforce, while sustaining the progress of IT transformation.

Conclusion 

Transformation only succeeds when people are at the centre. Capability isn’t just about skills – it’s also about culture, leadership and collaboration. Enterprises need to plan for and invest in people as deliberately as technology. In a world where change is constant, an empowered workforce is the organisation’s greatest asset. 

The risks of cybersecurity have evolved beyond the confines of an office with hybrid work becoming standardised, leading to spikes in data breaches, compliance violations, and operational downtime. 

Organisations are no longer just protecting a single office network. Employees are working from home, co-working spaces, or even on the move, often using a mix of personal and company devices. Each of these points can become a potential security risk if not managed carefully. 

The consequences of a breach are real. Sensitive business or customer data can be exposed, compliance rules like GDPR can be broken, and even small security lapses can cause downtime that slows work and frustrates teams. For mid-sized businesses, these risks aren’t just technical; they can hit the bottom line and damage trust with clients and employees alike. 

Cybersecurity can’t just live in the IT department anymore. Every team member has a role to play in keeping the business safe. When employees understand risks, follow good practices, and use the right tools, security becomes a shared responsibility. In other words, protecting the organisation is a team effort, not just an IT task, and it’s essential for keeping people, data, and operations secure. 

The Unique Cybersecurity Challenges of Distributed Teams 

When your team is spread across multiple desks, the rules of cybersecurity change. Devices that used to stay safely behind company firewalls are now connecting from home networks, personal laptops, or mobile devices, each one creating a potential doorway for attackers. What used to be a contained environment is now an “expanded attack surface,” making security much more complicated. 

Another challenge is shadow IT. Employees sometimes use apps, file-sharing tools, or collaboration platforms without IT approval. While these tools can make work easier, they also introduce unseen risks, especially when sensitive data is involved. 

Compliance is another sticking point. Regulations like GDPR or ISO 27001 require consistent handling of data, but distributed teams make it harder to maintain consistent practices. A misconfigured cloud folder or an unsecured video call can be enough to trigger a breach or violation. 

Finally, human error remains the biggest risk. Phishing emails, weak passwords, or accidental sharing of sensitive documents are far more likely when employees work remotely. Without regular training and awareness, even a single mistake can have serious consequences. 

Distributed teams create new layers of risk that IT alone cannot manage. Every employee’s actions, the tools they use, and the environments they work in all contribute to security. Understanding these challenges is the first step toward keeping the organisation safe in a hybrid world. 

“As remote and hybrid work models stretch cybersecurity defences thin—exposing vulnerabilities from insecure devices and Human error alike—a growing army of cyber threats underscores the urgent need for smarter security strategies beyond passwords and VPNs.” – Zipdo 

Building a Security-First Culture 

In a distributed environment, creating a culture where everyone takes cybersecurity seriously is critical. That means security isn’t just a set of rules handed down from IT, it’s part of everyday work. 

Awareness and training are the foundation. Teams should understand common risks like phishing, password hygiene, and safe handling of sensitive data. Small, regular reminders and interactive exercises help make learning practical rather than abstract. 

Leadership plays a key role. When managers model secure behaviour and openly communicate why it matters, teams are more likely to follow. Security becomes part of the company’s shared values, not just a technical requirement. 

It’s also about team accountability. Every employee should know their role in protecting the organisation, from properly storing files to using approved collaboration tools. Encouraging employees to report suspicious activity without fear of blame helps catch issues before they escalate. 

Finally, make security part of the workflow, not a burden. Tools and processes should be user-friendly, and policies should support productivity rather than slow it down. When employees see security as enabling safe work rather than restricting them, it becomes a shared responsibility rather than a chore. 

“60% of the professionals believe that remote onboarding is a security threat, showing loopholes in the early-stage setup. Organizations need to promote a security culture where remote employees know about shared responsibility for data protection.” – Medium 

Technology Foundations for Distributed Teams 

Even the most security-aware team can’t protect the organisation without the right technology in place. In a distributed environment, systems need to be designed to keep data safe while still letting people work efficiently. 

One of the most important approaches is Zero Trust: meaning to never assuming a device or user is automatically safe. Every access request is verified. Employees connecting from home or on the move are checked just as carefully as someone logging in from the office. 

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is another simple but powerful tool. It adds an extra layer of protection beyond passwords, making it much harder for attackers to gain access even if credentials are compromised. Similarly, secure collaboration platforms and encrypted communication tools help ensure that sensitive information stays private, no matter where it’s shared. 

Managing endpoints is also critical. Devices should be monitored, regularly updated, and protected with antivirus or endpoint protection tools. For organisations using cloud services, role-based access ensures that people only see the data they need for their role, reducing the risk of accidental exposure. 

The goal is to make security seamless. Tools should support the way teams actually work rather than slow them down. When technology is reliable, easy to use, and aligned with security principles, employees are more likely to adopt it, and the organisation stays protected without creating frustration. 

“Maintaining an inventory of IT assets was a top priority for 58% of security chiefs responsible for hybrid work models, and 39% of companies used user behaviour analytics to detect insider threats in real time.” – ElectroIQ 

Policies, Governance, and Incident Response 

Even with strong teams and solid technology, organisations still need clear policies and governance to manage cybersecurity effectively. Policies act as the playbook for how work gets done safely, while governance ensures everyone follows them consistently. 

Start with clear, simple rules. Employees should know what is expected of them, from handling sensitive data to using approved devices and collaboration tools. Complicated policies that are hard to understand or follow often get ignored, so clarity is key. 

Governance means defining who owns what. IT teams should monitor compliance, but accountability shouldn’t stop there. Managers and team leads should reinforce good practices daily. Regular audits, access reviews, and updates to policies ensure that rules stay relevant as the organisation and technology evolve. 

Even the best precautions can’t prevent every issue, which is why incident response is critical. Teams need a plan for identifying, reporting, and addressing breaches quickly. This includes defining roles, communication paths, and escalation procedures, so that everyone knows what to do if something goes wrong. Running drills or tabletop exercises can help teams practice and reduce panic during a real incident. 

Best Practices 

Keeping distributed teams secure isn’t about a single tool, policy, or initiative. It’s about combining people, technology, and processes in a way that becomes part of everyday work. 

Start with training and awareness. Make cybersecurity part of the team’s routine, not just an annual compliance session. Regular reminders, practical examples, and hands-on exercises help make risks tangible and behaviour stick. 

Use technology that supports people. Multi-factor authentication, secure collaboration tools, endpoint protection, and Zero Trust principles work best when they are easy to use and integrated into employees’ workflows. When technology feels helpful rather than burdensome, adoption increases. 

Define clear rules and governance. Simple, understandable policies paired with accountability at every level ensure consistent security practices across the organisation. 

Prepare for the unexpected. A well-practiced incident response plan ensures that when something goes wrong, teams know exactly what to do. This reduces downtime, protects sensitive data, and keeps business operations running smoothly. 

Finally, remember that security is a team effort. Every employee, from IT to marketing, plays a role in keeping the organisation safe. By building a culture of shared responsibility, you turn cybersecurity from a reactive challenge into a proactive strength. 

“The 2025 statistics are clear: proactive defense, policy evolution, and employee education are no longer optional; they’re survival tools.” – SQMagazine 

Conclusion 

Strong cybersecurity in distributed teams is about people, processes, and technology working together. When awareness, tools, policies, and response plans all align, organisations can protect their data, maintain trust, and enable teams to work confidently, no matter where they are. 

For many IT professionals in the UK, the idea of working in-house (supporting a single company’s network, applications, and infrastructure) feels familiar and secure. Yet while in-house roles offer stability, they often limit exposure to different technologies, business models, and industries. If your goal is to grow your career quickly, gain a wide range of skills, and position yourself as a highly desirable candidate for future roles, working for a Managed Service Provider (MSP) can be a game-changer. 

MSPs are companies that deliver IT services to multiple clients across industries, from finance and retail to healthcare and professional services. Working in this environment means you’ll experience diverse technical challenges, client needs, and operational environments, all of which make you more versatile, marketable, and prepared for senior IT positions. Beyond the technical benefits, MSP roles provide unique career acceleration advantages, particularly when it comes to hiring, resourcing, and professional development. 

Why MSP Experience Matters for IT Career Growth 

The UK IT sector continues to grapple with a significant skills shortage. By 2026, over 90% of organisations are expected to feel the impact of a critical talent gap, with delays in projects and operational inefficiencies projected to cost billions in lost productivity (Business Wire, 2025). For hiring managers, candidates with hands-on experience across multiple environments are in high demand. MSP-trained professionals stand out precisely because they have worked in fast-paced, multi-client environments, adapting quickly to new technologies and business needs. 

In effect, MSPs act as live training grounds. Every day presents new challenges, from troubleshooting cloud deployments for a London-based fintech to ensuring GDPR compliance for a Manchester healthcare provider. This breadth of experience not only makes your CV shine but also equips you with practical skills that in-house roles often cannot provide. 

Exposure to a Broad Range of Technologies 

In-house IT roles typically focus on a single company’s infrastructure and software stack. While this offers depth, it often limits exposure to other platforms and emerging tools. Working for an MSP, however, exposes you to multiple client environments. One day you might be deploying Microsoft Azure solutions for a growing e-commerce business, and the next, hardening the security of a patient record system for an NHS trust. 

This variety builds technical resilience and versatility, which are exactly the traits recruiters look for when hiring mid-to-senior IT professionals. Employers want candidates who can step into diverse environments and deliver results quickly, without extensive training on each new system. An MSP background signals precisely that capability, making candidates far more competitive in the hiring market. 

Accelerated Skill Development and Certifications 

MSPs often require employees to wear many hats. You might find yourself configuring networks, managing firewalls, supporting cloud migrations, and responding to helpdesk queries all in the same week. This breadth of responsibility forces rapid learning and problem-solving, compressing what might take years in an in-house role into a matter of months. 

Moreover, MSPs usually support and encourage professional certifications, such as Cisco CCNA, Microsoft Azure Fundamentals, or CompTIA Security+. These certifications are recognised across the UK and Europe and can dramatically boost career progression. 

“Our findings reveal that combining university degrees with targeted industry certifications significantly enhances employability for technology roles.” – ArXiv 

Beyond technical certifications, MSP environments also help you develop soft skills, such as project management, cross-team collaboration, and client communication. These are critical for leadership roles and highly valued by UK employers. 

Client-Facing Experience and Professional Growth 

One of the most overlooked advantages of MSP work is direct client interaction. While in-house roles often limit communication to internal teams, MSP technicians and engineers work with clients daily. Explaining complex IT problems in plain language, managing client expectations, and coordinating multi-stakeholder projects teaches skills that internal IT roles rarely provide. 

Soft skills like this are increasingly critical for senior positions. In fact, recruiters in the UK often prioritise candidates who can combine technical expertise with the ability to understand and influence business outcomes. MSP experience naturally develops these skills, positioning you for roles such as IT consultant, project manager, or even IT director. 

Career Mobility and Industry Versatility 

Working at an MSP also opens doors across industries. Exposure to multiple clients means you can pivot more easily into specialised roles such as cybersecurity analyst, cloud solutions architect, or IT consultant, without being confined to the technology stack of a single company. 

For example, someone working with MSP clients across finance, retail, and healthcare gains insight into diverse regulatory requirements, operational priorities, and IT challenges. This type of experience is especially attractive to hiring managers in the UK, where companies increasingly value adaptability and cross-industry knowledge. 

MSPs also provide early exposure to emerging technologies before they become standard in-house, giving employees a competitive advantage in terms of skills and knowledge. This kind of versatility can be a major differentiator in a crowded IT job market. 

Standing Out in Hiring and Resourcing Trends 

UK hiring trends show that MSP experience is highly prized. Many companies are reducing entry-level in-house hires and prioritising candidates who have practical, multi-client experience. This is partly due to the increasing complexity of IT environments, including hybrid work, cloud deployments, and cybersecurity threats. 

“Enterprises are cutting back on entry-level hires at an alarming rate, which experts warn could create significant long-term skills shortages. In a survey conducted by IDC on behalf of Deel, 66% of enterprises revealed they expect to slow entry-level hiring while 91% reported that roles are already changing or disappearing due to AI.” – ITPro 

Candidates with MSP experience are often seen as “ready-to-go” and can integrate into senior IT roles faster than those coming from single-company environments. MSP-trained professionals also tend to adapt more easily to resourcing changes, such as temporary projects, team expansions, or emergency escalations, because they have already managed a variety of client environments. 

Challenges and Growth Opportunities 

Of course, MSP work is not without challenges. The fast-paced, multi-client environment can feel overwhelming, especially for IT professionals new to the field. You may face competing priorities, tight deadlines, and diverse client requirements. 

However, these challenges are also opportunities for growth. With proper mentorship and support, they accelerate skill development, build confidence, and prepare you for leadership roles. UK employers value candidates who can demonstrate adaptability, problem-solving, and continuous learning – traits that MSP roles naturally cultivate. 

MSPs also encourage retention by offering structured career paths, allowing employees to progress from technician to engineer to senior consultant or manager. For ambitious IT professionals, this type of structured growth can be far more rapid than in-house alternatives. 

Conclusion: Why MSP Experience Accelerates IT Careers 

Choosing an MSP over an in-house role is about more than just variety in daily tasks. It’s about exposure to diverse technologies, accelerated skill development, certifications, client-facing experience, and career mobility. Working for an MSP positions you as a versatile professional, ready for senior roles or consultancy work, and highly attractive to UK recruiters. 

In today’s competitive IT labour market, MSP experience is increasingly seen as a mark of readiness for leadership positions, and as a signal to employers that you can thrive in complex, multi-client, technology-driven environments. If your goal is to learn faster, gain certifications, develop soft skills, and build a versatile IT career, joining a Managed Service Provider could be one of the best career moves you ever make.