The shrinking global workforce, coupled with a lack of specialized digital skills and misaligned job expectations, has intensified the talent crisis. This is highlighted by Randstad, in its global report on the “Most In-Demand Skills”, highlighting that, despite the cooling in international labor markets, companies continue to face major challenges in hiring.
In 2024, hiring trends have shown signs of stabilisation, with a moderation expected towards the end of the year. “Although hiring has normalised, demand for specialised talent remains high. It is vital that organisations reconsider their skills acquisition and training strategies to ensure access to key talent in the long term,” said Oriol Mas, CEO of Randstad Enterprise.
The talent shortage has structural roots, exacerbated by factors such as demographic changes, high demand for specialized skills, rapid technological adoption and the continued exit of professionals from the labor market. The report indicates that the need for highly qualified personnel exceeds pre-pandemic levels and has reached historical highs.
Global outlook on talent supply and demand
Profiles with advanced skills in areas such as data science, artificial intelligence and cloud computing will be in high demand in the near future. In addition, there will be a great need for specialists in project management and adoption of new technologies.
This shortage of technical talent reinforces the importance of companies developing long-term training strategies. Many leaders are prioritizing a skills-based approach, valuing the growth potential of their employees beyond current experience and knowledge.
International labour market dynamics
Professionals with experience in data science, AI and cloud computing will continue to be in high demand. Experts in robotics, ethics and compliance, and natural language processing will also be in high demand. Skills related to communication, auditing and project management in software will also remain in short supply.
Despite economic fluctuations, competition for these skills remains intense. The structural shortage of specialized talent will not disappear unless companies adopt a different approach to the acquisition and development of skills.
Teleworking: What’s next?
Remote work continues to be a strong trend. According to the report, about 1 in 6 professionals work remotely or in a hybrid way, with a higher prevalence among tech employees. However, there is a gap between the demand for work flexibility and what companies offer. The supply of remote jobs has decreased since 2022, especially in the APAC region, while in Central Europe there has been a slight increase.
Globally, interest in remote or hybrid work is double the number of vacancies offering those modalities. Countries with the largest discrepancies include India (40%), Argentina (39%) and Singapore (37%), while in places like Hungary, Czech Republic and Portugal, the supply of remote work outstrips demand.
Randstad Enterprise’s report analyses the 9 most in-demand skills across 6 dimensions and 23 markets to provide a comprehensive view of the current labour market, skills availability and human potential.
