Three out of four employers say they can’t find the talent they need. ManpowerGroup's 2025 survey puts the global figure at 74%, up from 36% in 2014. In the U.S., it's 71%. IT and data roles are the hardest to fill.
Things are different from the job seeker’s perspective. Roles like remote developer can draw thousands of applications daily. Qualified candidates are still ghosted. Both sides are right. So, where does this “shortage” come from?
Where Does the Talent Shortage Come From?
Companies get hundreds of applicants each day. And there are dozens of companies skilled workers can apply to. The gap opens between what they ask for, what they pay, and how they screen. There are three possible explanations:
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Experience inflation: A LinkedIn analysis found that 35% of "entry-level" postings asked for years of experience. A TalentWorks study found 61% asked for 3 or more.
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Senior requirements, mid-level budgets: Qualified candidates decline the offer. The role goes to someone with less experience, and the skills gap stays open.
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Application floods: Commenters on hiring forums say most applicants don't fit, and roles often fill within the first 30 to 50 applicants. Strong candidates who apply later don’t get read.
5 Strategies For Finding Talent In Competitive Niches
These strategies help you fill the roles your company needs without overspending on recruitment. Below, you'll see insight on how to get more qualified applicants per posting, fewer declined offers, and fewer candidates lost to faster companies.
Hire Remote and Look Beyond U.S. Borders
Senior developers in Colombia earn between $32,000 and $48,000 per year, according to Revelo. Against the $133,080 U.S. median, a company saves $85,000 to $100,000 per hire before benefits and payroll costs.
Doesn't that underpay people? Not at the going nearshore rate. Companies hiring nearshore typically pay 1.5 to 2x the local market rate. They still spend 30% to 50% less than on a comparable U.S. hire. Living costs in Colombia run below U.S. levels. That salary goes further.
For U.S. companies scaling their teams, nearshore staff augmentation provides dedicated developers and engineers in Latin America who work within U.S. time zones. Standups, code reviews, and incident calls happen in the same workday.
The partner vets each candidate, employs them as the Employer of Record (EOR), and runs payroll. Ask for live English interviews and technical tests built for the role.
Some roles should stay local. Work that needs a security clearance, on-site presence, or U.S.-only data handling is one example. Teams without remote processes should build those first.
Hire for Skills, Not Years on a Résumé
Seniority is a crucial hiring factor. But in competitive niches, finding people with years of experience is difficult, to say the least. The good news is that, with how fast technology is moving, the gaps are smaller. A sample shows whether someone can do what you need done.
When setting up filters, don’t go to the end of the seniority range. Instead of 7 to 9 years, try fishing near 5+ years. Then, have applicants do a short take-home task. You can also add screening questions to the application process to filter talent faster.
Match Pay to the Role You're Posting
Senior roles cost a premium. The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the U.S. median for software developers at $133,080. Senior developers often earn $141,000 to $220,000. A posting that asks for 7 years of Kubernetes and offers $95,000 will sit open for a while.
A fixed budget calls for a smaller role. Scope it to what a mid-level hire can own, and give that person a senior to learn from. But that also means investing in training.
Build Your Own Pipeline With Junior Talent
Experience inflation creates its own shortage. Companies that skip juniors today will have fewer seniors to hire in 5 years.
Hire for potential. Pair each junior with a senior engineer, and write down what promotion requires. A junior you train already knows your codebase by the time they're ready to lead.
Move Faster Than Your Competitors
The best candidates have more than one offer. In competitive niches, salary won’t fluctuate too much. So, in most cases, the first to make a reasonable offer wins.
Budgets must be approved before postings go live. Have a holistic screening process. Cut unnecessary interview rounds. And make sure you know what you’re looking for.
Start With Your Own Hiring Data
Hiring is different for each company. If you want to hire the right talent fast in competitive niches, you need to understand your bottlenecks too. Look into your last 10 roles filled or closed. Are you seeing a pattern with how long each stayed open, how many turned down offers, and why?
Most applicants who reach the final stages and are declined often cite pay. Months without a qualified applicant point to your requirements or your reach. Candidates who drop out mid-process point to speed.
