Is your talent acquisition strategy not achieving results?

When ChatGPT burst onto the scene, it sparked a wave of curiosity about Artificial Intelligence. That curiosity has since evolved into business strategy. Australian organisations are no longer asking whether they should adopt AI, they're focused on how to embed it into everyday operations, and who they need to make it happen. AI, Big Data and Cybersecurity are among the fastest-growing skill areas globally, while almost 40% of the skills required for work are expected to change by 2030. For employers, this is fundamentally changing hiring priorities. AI has shifted from being a 'nice-to-have' capability to an expectation across many technology roles. Our clients are increasingly asking candidates how they've used AI in their day-to-day work, rather than simply whether they're interested in it. A New Phase Just two years ago, many organisations were experimenting with AI through pilots and innovation teams. Today, AI is being embedded into core business operations. Hiring managers want professionals who can demonstrate real-world AI experience, explain where they've applied it, and articulate the business outcomes. We’re seeing that AI adoption has accelerated across almost every industry. Organisations recognise the need to improve productivity and automate repetitive work, or risk falling behind their competitors. This reflects the shift across Australia's workforce. Jobs and Skills Australia has found that generative AI is more likely to augment existing jobs than replace them, increasing demand for workers who can combine technical capability with business expertise. In Seek’s latest Employment Report , it found that references to AI-related skills in job ads continue to grow, rising 2.9% month-on-month and 68.6% against this time last year. The AI Roles Drawing Investment While software engineers and data scientists remain in demand, organisations are building much broader AI capability. The strongest demand I’m seeing currently is for AI Engineers, Machine Learning Engineers, AI Solution Architects, AI Governance, Responsible AI specialists, and professionals who can integrate AI into existing enterprise platforms. Specifically, AI Governance and Responsible AI roles are growing much faster than many expected. As organisations move AI into production, they're placing greater emphasis on privacy, security, ethics, compliance and risk management rather than focusing purely on developing AI models. But dedicated AI positions are only part of the story. Very recent research from the Australian Government found there is currently no evidence of widespread AI-driven job losses. Instead, AI is reshaping skills requirements and increasing demand for workers who can successfully integrate AI into existing business processes. This is reflective of most clients, who are incorporating AI into existing roles. Software Engineers, Data Engineers, BAs, Product Managers and Solution Architects are increasingly expected to understand AI tools and identify opportunities to apply them within their work. Skills Matter more than Job Titles As AI becomes embedded across organisations, employers are placing greater emphasis on practical capability than specific job titles. The technical skills appearing most frequently in recruitment briefs include Python, Azure AI, Microsoft Copilot, OpenAI services, AWS AI, Databricks, Microsoft Fabric, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), vector databases, API integration and strong data engineering capability. Industry certifications are also becoming increasingly valuable. Microsoft AI certifications, Azure AI Engineer Associate, Azure AI Fundamentals, Databricks, AWS Machine Learning and Google Cloud AI certifications are helping candidates demonstrate commitment to continuous learning. Certifications alone won't secure a role, though. Hands-on experience remains the priority. Employers want candidates who can demonstrate they've successfully delivered AI projects or embedded AI into existing business processes. Where Employers are Getting it Wrong Despite growing investment in AI, many clients are still refining their hiring strategies. Lots of employers believe they need to hire AI specialists before they're ready. In reality, they can achieve significant value by upskilling their existing workforce and bringing in targeted expertise as and where required. Some organisations are also struggling to define what "AI experience" means. Job descriptions often combine multiple specialist skill sets into one role, making it difficult to find suitable candidates. They can also underestimate how competitive the AI talent market has become. But perhaps the biggest misconception is expecting one person to solve every AI challenge. Successful organisations build multidisciplinary teams and combine internal capability with specialist external expertise where needed. Building AI Capability for the Future For organisations looking to accelerate their AI journey, start with clear business problems rather than implementing AI for its own sake. Invest in your existing workforce through training and upskilling while bringing in experienced specialists to accelerate delivery. The first investment should be in strong foundations. Data quality and governance should be the priority. AI is only as effective as the data that supports it. Ultimately, the organisations seeing the greatest value from AI aren't simply hiring more AI specialists, but building balanced teams with the technical expertise, governance capability and business acumen needed to turn AI into measurable outcomes. Anita Brdjanovic is an experienced Account Manager at Paxus with over 5 years of recruitment experience. Based in Sydney, she specialises in technology recruitment and strategic client partnerships. She works closely with enterprise organisations to connect them with high-quality talent across Data, Cloud, Cyber Security, Infrastructure, Digital, and Project Services. Passionate about building long-term relationships, Anita enjoys helping clients navigate an evolving technology landscape while providing candidates with meaningful career opportunities. She has a strong interest in recruitment market trends, talent strategies, and the future of work.

If last financial year was characterised by cautious hiring and tighter budgets, FY26/27 is shaping up to be a year of targeted investment. Organisations are no longer hiring for growth alone; they're hiring for capability. While overall recruitment activity has moderated, employers continue to compete aggressively for technology professionals who can deliver transformation, harness AI and modernise digital infrastructure. The latest SEEK Employment Report reflects this changing landscape. National job advertisements have eased 4.5% YoY, but Science & Technology remains one of Australia's strongest-performing sectors, recording 2% monthly growth and 7% annual growth. At the same time, applications per job advertisement have increased 5.5% over the past year, signalling a more competitive market for candidates overall. Beneath that lies a different story for specialist technology talent. Businesses are hiring with greater precision Rather than broad recruitment drives, organisations are investing in fewer, higher-impact roles that directly support business priorities. This reflects broader workforce trends across Australia. Digital occupations continue to be some of the country's most persistent areas of skills shortage, particularly Software and Applications Programmers, Cyber Security Specialists and Database and Systems Administrators. As organisations continue investing in digital capability, competition for experienced professionals in these fields remains strong. At the same time, many employers are shifting their focus to building future-ready teams with expertise in AI, cloud technologies, cyber security and enterprise transformation. AI is reshaping tech hiring Artificial intelligence continues to influence hiring priorities across Australia. SEEK reports that references to AI-related skills in job advertisements have increased 68.6% over the past year. Despite this rapid growth, AI-related terminology still appears in only 1.9% of all Australian job advertisements, highlighting that most organisations are embedding AI into existing roles rather than creating entirely new positions. The trend is echoed globally. According to the World Economic Forum , AI and information processing technologies are expected to be the biggest drivers of business transformation over the next five years. Employers anticipate continued growth in demand for AI specialists, Big Data Specialists, FinTech Engineers and Software Developers as organisations accelerate technology investment. Similarly, LinkedIn found that professionals with AI skills are being hired at significantly higher rates than those without them, reinforcing that AI literacy is rapidly becoming simply a competitive advantage rather than a niche capability. Technology roles expected to remain in highest demand Starting FY26/27, demand is expected to remain strongest for professionals supporting digital transformation, data, cloud and cyber initiatives. Some of the roles likely to remain in highest demand include: AI Engineers and Machine Learning Engineers Data Engineers and Data Architects Cyber Security Analysts, Engineers and Security Architects Cloud Engineers and Cloud Architects Platform and DevOps Engineers Software Engineers (particularly Full Stack and Backend Developers) Enterprise Architects Technical Business Analysts Project Managers and Delivery Leads supporting large transformation programs Salaries continue to hold firm Although hiring volumes have become more measured, salary growth remains resilient. The latest SEEK Advertised Salary Index shows national advertised salaries increased 4.1% over the past year, with employers continuing to offer higher remuneration to secure critical talent, although at a slower pace than previous years. Across the technology sector, salary growth is strongest where skills remain scarce and directly support business transformation. Contract rates also remain strong for professionals with experience across government, financial services, infrastructure and enterprise technology programs, particularly where security clearances or specialist domain knowledge are required. Adaptability is becoming the most valuable skill One of the clearest workforce trends emerging is that technical expertise alone is no longer enough. Analytical thinking, resilience, technology literacy and continuous learning are among fast growing workforce capabilities. Employers increasingly want professionals who can combine deep technical knowledge with business acumen, stakeholder management and the ability to lead change. As AI becomes embedded into everyday work, organisations are placing greater value on people who can use emerging technologies to improve productivity while maintaining governance, security and customer outcomes. Looking ahead FY26/27 is unlikely to replicate the rapid hiring experienced during the technology boom of recent years. While the broader labour market has become more competitive, the market for experienced technology specialists remains tight. Businesses continue to compete for professionals who can modernise legacy systems, strengthen cyber resilience, unlock value from data and help organisations adopt AI responsibly. For employers, a higher volume of applications doesn't necessarily mean a larger pool of qualified talent. And for technology professionals, the outlook remains positive. Particularly for those who continue to build expertise across AI, cloud, cyber security, data and enterprise transformation.

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