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How to attract tech talent in 2026: 8 essentials
In this time of 'the great churn,' finding and keeping great tech talent sounds merely aspirational. Read on for seven methods that work.
From the CIO to the front-line recruiter, everyone with a stake in the war for talent should understand how to attract stellar IT and tech teams.
Boosting salaries, offering work-life balance, pursuing passive candidates, developing more informative tech job descriptions, focusing on skills, partnering for diversity and appealing specifically to tech workers are all strategies that can go a long way toward recruiting top talent.
1. Boost salaries
"Money talks," as the saying goes, and, indeed, salary is an important consideration for job seekers.
A full 68% of those looking for employment are seeking an increase in salary and better benefits, according to "Job Seeker Trends 2024," a report published by CompTIA (Computing Technology Industry Association), a certification and training organization headquartered in Downers Grove, Ill.
A significant percentage of those seeking employment -- 25% -- don't consider tech as an option because they think the pay is too low, according to the same report.
2. Offer work-life balance
In the time of the Great Detachment, work-life balance offers many benefits for both employee and employer. One worth mentioning is its ability to help attract top tech talent.
Forty-two percent of job seekers focus on better work-life and well-being improvements, according to the same CompTIA report. One-third want future employers to offer work-from-home capabilities.
3. Pursue passive candidates
There's an entire group of people who would be great future employees -- they just don't know it yet. Indeed, targeting passive candidates is key to a robust tech talent recruitment strategy.
Here are a few ways to attract passive candidates:
- An employee referral program can give happy employees an opportunity to authentically sell the company -- its culture and benefits -- to former colleagues and network associates.
- Leadership and HR should offer incentives for participating in an employee referral program and market its benefits, particularly the financial rewards employees can reap when the company hires referrals.
- AI can help support the search for candidates.
4. Develop more informative tech job descriptions
Conventional job descriptions contain information about the employer, as well as the educational and work experience requirements associated with the position in question. But, in 2026, that’s not enough to attract tech talent.
While that information is necessary, candidates also want to know the following:
- Salary.
- Remote or hybrid model potential.
- The organization's positioning in the industry, as well as its growth trajectory.
- Insight into company culture.
- Potential for work-life balance.
- Career development and upskilling offerings.
- Defined responsibilities and duties.
- Benefits offered.
In addition to written job descriptions, recruitment marketing should include links to video clips featuring current employees discussing how they use their skills on the job and offer a glimpse into day-to-day interactions with team members.
5. Focus on skills
Focusing on job skills can help companies get ahead in the war for talent.
In 2026, skills-based hiring will take center stage, pushing traditional degree requirements into the background. This shift expands the talent pool and lets organizations hire for critical capabilities, like AI fluency and cloud expertise.
Padding job ads with every desired attribute is counterproductive.
Leaders should zero in on the skills that are mandatory for the job but can also include supplementary qualifications that could be beneficial, according to the "Strategic Cybersecurity Talent Framework," a whitepaper published by the World Economic Forum in April 2024. However, job descriptions should not list skills that have nothing to do with the position since they could discourage otherwise qualified candidates from applying.
6. Partner for diversity
Recruiters often turn only to familiar and often homogenous channels for recruitment, such as posting ads only on a few career sites and accepting applications only from computer science program graduates. But there are several reasons to seek more heterogeneous employees. For example, diverse teams are smarter.
Expanding recruitment efforts beyond traditional channels and opening up to, for example, women cybersecurity professionals or military veterans, can expand the talent pipeline.
7. Appeal to tech workers
Marketing the employee value proposition (EVP), or the unique benefits that help attract and retain employees, is important to attracting workers, in general. But knowing what's attractive to tech candidates is especially critical.
To that point, CIOs and HR leaders should develop one that is specific to technology professionals, according to the Gartner report. This is particularly important for organizations or industries that technologists deem as attractive as high-tech companies. It's important to advertise a willingness to invest in innovation or an agile culture, for example.
Marketing those features can be tricky so preparation is key.
To ensure that recruiters properly communicate the EVP, recruiters should have toolkits specific to screening and interviewing tech candidates, according to the World Economic Forum report.
8. Focus on sustainability initiatives.
Young millennials and Gen-Z employees who are entering the workforce have more environmental anxiety than the generations before them, and this anxiety drives career decisions. According to the Deloitte 2025 Gen Z and Millennial Survey, 23% of Gen Z candidates will research a company's environmental impact before accepting a job offer.
Outwardly demonstrating a commitment to the environment will not only improve reputation with consumers and investors but also attract a new wave of talent.
Carolyn Heinze is a Paris-based freelance writer. She covers several technology and business areas, including HR software and sustainability.
Rosa Heaton is a content manager for the IT Strategy group at Informa TechTarget.
