We are older than some forests. And honestly, that usually sucks. But hey, it does come with perks.
One of them? Perspective.
When you’re young, you think the latest trend is here to stay forever. Spoiler alert: it’s not.
All markets are cyclical, and recruitment—especially IT recruitment—is no exception.
We still remember how crazy in demand SAP profiles were at the start of the century. SAP is still around today, with its ups and downs, but let’s be real: that bubble popped.
The same thing happened with the frontend boom about five years ago.
Companies still need frontend developers, of course, but what used to feel like a royal audience when you managed to speak with one has now normalized. The market is stable, and there are even great professionals available (speaking from experience—we hired one a couple of months ago!).
On the flip side, we’ve seen tough times too. The most notable here in Spain? The global crisis of 2008, which had us clenching tight for a while.
Fast forward to 2024, and it’s been a challenging year for recruitment worldwide. We’re not here to give an economics masterclass—that’s above our pay grade—but there are two main culprits everyone’s talking about:
- High interest rates: slowing down global economic activity. Companies are waiting for the storm to pass, hiring only to replace key roles rather than expanding their teams.
- The rise of AI: Like any good revolution, AI is shaking things up. Some jobs are becoming obsolete in the short-to-mid term. Software development isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, but the trend is clear: fewer senior developers are doing more, thanks to AI taking care of the heavy lifting.
Sure, a human touch will still be needed for a while, but let’s face it: development teams are shrinking. And as companies figure out how to reorganize and adapt, they’re asking themselves:
Can we do the same with less (thanks to our silicon friends)?
Now, you might think that with less demand and the same supply, recruiting IT professionals is easier. And in terms of volume, you’d be right. But top talent? They’re still locked down tight by their companies and just as hard to reach as ever.
Both companies and candidates see these shifting dynamics as opportunities—depending on which side of the table they’re on.
But honestly, we think that’s oversimplifying things.
At NBS IT Recruitment, we’ve always believed in building long-term relationships with our stakeholders. That means sticking around through the ups and downs of economic cycles, which are bound to keep happening.
When you establish trust and focus on long-term career goals, negotiations become smoother—regardless of who’s holding the power at any given time.
A strong, varied, and honest pipeline is a winning strategy every time.
It’s why companies still rely on us when roles are scarce.
It’s why candidates pick up our calls, even when they’re fielding twenty offers a day.
At the end of the day, we’re not reinventing the wheel, but we work hard to maintain the highest quality standards possible.
Sure, we could probably rake in more profits during the good times, but this approach gives us better odds of surviving the tough ones.
And we have no doubt better days are ahead—because they always are. We don’t know what they’ll look like, or which technical profiles will be in demand (though betting on AI and renewables seems like a safe choice), but we’ll be ready.
Because in a world where everything can be automated, human connection only goes so far with robots.
There will always be moments when someone needs to talk to a real person. Intuition plays a key role in recruitment. Machines can make predictions (and they’re great at it), but human relationships often hinge on the data that isn’t there. That’s something machines can’t replicate—not yet, anyway, and hopefully not for a long time.
So, we’ll keep one eye on the trends and the other on the perspective our experience gives us.
Hard work, resilience, and optimism. Always with a dash of humor and a foundation of brutal honesty.
That’s the recipe for success at NBS IT Recruitment.
Cheers!
