companies Cant Find the Tech Talent en US
Companies Can't Find the Tech Talent They Need — and the Problem Isn't Just Technical
By Sergio Santos | Data Engineer
1. The Business Problem
Ninety-eight percent of Brazilian companies report difficulty hiring technology professionals.
This is not a shortage of job openings. It is a shortage of candidates the market considers ready.
The question every IT professional should ask isn't "why are job postings so competitive?", but rather: "what sets the 2% who get hired apart from the 98% who are left out?"
The answer lies in a recent Datafolha survey, commissioned by Ford, which surveyed 250 HR and IT leaders from large Brazilian companies. The data reveals a clear — and actionable — diagnosis.
2. Context
The study Tech Labor Market: X-Ray and Trends, published in April 2026, mapped hiring bottlenecks in large-scale enterprises across Brazil.
This scope is telling: these are neither startups nor small businesses. They are large organizations with structured recruitment processes that still take an average of 2 months to hire a tech professional. Only 14% manage to close a hire in under 30 days.
LinkedIn is the primary recruitment tool for 60% of these organizations.
In short: your digital profile is your first interview.
3. Analysis Premises
Before moving forward, three points must be clarified:
The data reflects the perceptions of HR and IT leaders, not candidates. The gap they see may differ from a candidate's self-perception — and that misalignment is part of the problem. The survey focused on large enterprises. The reality in small and medium-sized businesses may vary. These figures do not indicate a lack of talent in the market; they point to a misalignment between what professionals deliver and what companies actually need. 4. Analytical Strategy — The Three Gaps Eliminating Candidates Gap 1 — Technical Knowledge (72%)
The most frequently cited, yet nuanced.
It is not simply a matter of not knowing a specific technology. From the employers' perspective, the core issue is the speed of updating skills. Djalma Brighenti, IT Director at Ford South America, put it plainly: "technological advancement moves faster than the market's capacity to learn it."
A professional who learned a tech stack three years ago and hasn't revisited it since is, in practice, outdated — even if technically competent in that older version.
What this means in practice: having an active GitHub account with projects documenting recent technical decisions and demonstrating adaptability holds more value than a certificate earned two years ago.
Gap 2 — Professional Experience (54%)
Here lies the classic catch-22: "I need experience to get the job, but I need the job to get experience."
The indirect solution suggested by the data is clear: well-documented portfolio projects break this cycle. A project that describes a real business problem, decisions made, trade-offs accepted, and results achieved communicates experience — even if developed within an academic or personal setting.
Gap 3 — Soft Skills (39%)
According to surveyed leaders, the hardest interpersonal skills to find are:
Emotional intelligence (36%) Critical thinking and problem-solving ability (33%) Notice that the second item is not a soft skill in the conventional sense; it is the core capability of tech work. Demonstrating critical thinking during a hiring process begins well before the interview — it starts with how you document and present your projects.
- The Disqualifying Factor No One Wants to Hear: English For 78% of companies, a lack of English fluency is an immediate dealbreaker.
It is no longer a differentiator; it is entry-level access.
Raphael Henrique, Latam Regional Manager at Top Employers Institute, summarized it accurately: "English has ceased to be an advantage and became access — access to technology's languages, whether in code, events, or meetings."
All relevant technical documentation is in English. Cutting-edge research in AI, Cloud, and Data Engineering is in English. The entire open-source ecosystem communicates in English.
Not mastering the language is not just a barrier to getting hired — it is a barrier to continuous learning.
- The Transformation Factor: Artificial Intelligence The data points to two simultaneous shifts that must be read together:
Shift 1 — Demand: AI specialists are the hardest talent to find (35%), followed by software engineers (31%). Forty-six percent of companies expect demand for AI skills to rise over the next two years.
Shift 2 — Impact: Rodrigo Stefanini, CEO of Stefanini Group for Latin America and Spain, was explicit: the roles most threatened by AI-driven productivity gains are not senior engineers — they are junior and mid-level professionals.
The takeaway is strategic rather than apocalyptic:
Junior and mid-level professionals who use AI as an accelerated learning tool and a way to document their reasoning will stand out. Those who refuse to adapt will fall behind — not because AI takes their job, but because another professional using AI will be far more efficient. 7. Key Findings — What This Means for You For tech professionals in Brazil, the data creates a clear roadmap:
Factor Market Status Actionable Step Updated Technical Knowledge Dealbreaker Keep an active GitHub; document recent projects English Fluency Dealbreaker (78%) Treat as a essential prerequisite, not an optional skill Soft Skills / Critical Thinking Critical Differentiator Demonstrate via clear project documentation and presentation Artificial Intelligence Baseline Expectation Master AI tools to boost daily productivity Optimized LinkedIn Primary Channel (60%) Treat your profile as your initial interview 8. Next Steps — What to Do Now For Career Switchers: Prioritize three well-documented projects over ten superficial ones. A clear README explaining the business problem, technical decisions, and takeaways adds more value than a raw list of technologies. For Early-Career Professionals: English and AI are not investments for the distant future — they are assets for next week's interview. For Mid-Level Professionals: The threat of AI productivity shifts is real, but so is the remedy: position yourself as someone who solves problems with AI, not just someone who operates a tool. For Everyone: LinkedIn is not just an online resume. It is the primary channel through which 60% of large enterprises find talent. Treat your digital footprint as seriously as your technical expertise. Final Thoughts The Datafolha/Ford survey paints a paradoxical picture: open roles abound, yet market-ready talent remains scarce.
However, the definition of "market-ready" has evolved.
Knowing the tech stack is no longer enough. Employers seek professionals who master the technology, articulate their knowledge clearly, solve practical problems, and commit to continuous learning.
Such candidates are not rare prodigies. They are disciplined, methodical, and intentional — traits that anyone can build.
Ask yourself: if a recruiter visits your LinkedIn or GitHub today, can they tell what business problem you solve within 30 seconds?
If the answer is no, you know where to begin.
Reference: Tech Labor Market Survey: X-Ray and Trends — Datafolha/Ford, April 2026. Originally published on InfoMoney.
Sergio Santos is a Data Engineer with over 15 years of experience in critical banking systems. He writes about Data Engineering, Cloud Infrastructure, and tech career growth.