Specialized Roles: The Ones Everyone Else Is Struggling to Fill

The market has split into two completely different games, and most hiring managers are still playing the old one. Recent industry reporting points to a significant global shortage of AI and ML talent relative to open roles, several open AI roles for every qualified candidate by most estimates. ManpowerGroup's 2026 employer survey found AI skills are now among the hardest to hire for globally. AI, ML, data science, and security job postings have all grown sharply year over year on most measures we've seen. Meanwhile, entry-level generalist software engineering positions have declined noticeably from their 2023 peak, and median time-to-hire has stretched well past historical norms. Figures below are directional, drawn from published industry sources current as of 2026 rather than our own audited data: treat them as a market signal, not a guarantee for any specific search.

Translation: for the roles below, the old playbook (post a req, wait, interview, offer) is not going to work. The talent is employed, passive, and getting three calls a week. That is exactly the problem we're built to solve.