The technology workforce is changing: Initial insights from the Brightbox on-demand tech skills survey

AI adoption, digital transformation and increasingly complex technology environments are accelerating demand for specialist expertise. Yet, many organisations are discovering that traditional hiring and training approachesare struggling to keep pace.

Businesses are competing for a limited pool of engineers, data specialists and AI practitioners, while entirely new roles are emerging faster than organisations can adapt their workforce strategies. At the same time, the rapid evolution of technology means skills can quickly become outdated, placing additional pressure on organisations to continually reskill their workforce.

To better understand how organisations are responding to these challenges, Brightbox has launched the State of On-Demand Tech Skills Survey, a global study exploring how organisations access technology expertise and how workforce models may evolve as demand for digital and AI capabilities continues to grow.

Many organisations are already beginning to rethink how they access the skills needed to deliver technology and innovation. Rather than relying solely on traditional hiring, leaders are increasingly exploring more flexible approaches, combining permanent employees with external specialists, project-based experts and flexible talent networks.

At Brightbox, we describe this shift as the emergence of the Liquid Workforce Operating Model, enabling organisations to access specialist resources when it is needed, scale capabilities quickly and respond more effectively to change.

To better understand how organisations are navigating this shift, the Brightbox survey explores several key questions shaping the future of on-demand technology skills:

• How organisations are accessing technology skills such as AI, data engineering, cloud and cybersecurity
• How workforce models are evolving as organisations look for more flexible ways to access expertise
• How business leaders expectthe technology skills landscape to change

The full findings from the BrightBox State of On-Demand Tech Skills Survey will be published in April and will provide deeper insight into how organisations are responding and preparing for the future.

If you would like to contribute to this research, you can take part in the seven-minute survey here on our website.