No hire, no fire: Employers get picky on tech skills amid AI disruption
The current “no-hire-no-fire” environment in the workplace has slowed the pace of tech hiring in the US, but companies have seen one benefit — the selection of job candidates is easier. Many employers have become clearer about the qualifications they’re seeking in new hires: they’re focused less on people who can service large stacks of code, and more on ability to have a direct impact on corporate revenue and operations. “Roles are narrower, expectations are clearer, and teams are being built with purpose rather than volume,” said Kye Mitchell, head of Experis, a division of recruiting firm ManpowerGroup. That’s the backdrop amid a spate of recent hiring data reports released by the US government and various private firms that track hiring. Overall, employment in the US rose by 115,000 jobs in April, with gains in healthcare, transportation and warehousing, and retail trade, according to the latest report by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. But tech hiring has slowed and in the las