Shrewd IT Hiring Strategies Have Never Been More Critical
CIO, Friday, August 28th, 2026
With AI and cybersecurity talent scarce, CIOs are advised to build internal talent pipelines rather than compete for scarce external hires.
Grant Gross reports that AI, cybersecurity, and data science top CIO.com's State of the CIO survey list of hardest-to-fill roles, with poor hiring risking technical debt, delayed transformation, and staff burnout.
Experts recommend building AI capability internally since 'the market for pure AI specialists is volatile and expensive,' broadening geographic hiring and prioritizing demonstrated skills over credentials, and building talent communities ahead of need since 'by the time an AI engineer... hits the open market, every company is competing for the same person.'