Finding IT professionals in 2026: Strategies for medium-sized businesses
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Morten Laufer
Founder
Despite vacant IT positions, medium-sized businesses rarely fail due to budget constraints, but rather because of slow processes. This guide shows how you can win over IT specialists with fast decision-making and genuine role tailoring, and when external help is cheaper than waiting.
Despite 109,000 vacant IT positions, the market is split: IT generalists are available, while specialists are lacking.
Speed wins: Successful placements require feedback within 48 hours and a maximum of two interview rounds.
The vacancy duration stands at 7.7 months, while unfilled IT roles block ongoing projects and incur costs.
Nova Search delivers an initial qualified candidate shortlist for specialist positions within 5 working days.
AI This article was created with the help of AI.
Where the shortage really lies in 2026 - and where it doesn't
The figure of around 109,000 vacant IT positions in Germany published by Bitkom shapes the discussion about the labour market, but falls short as a basis for action for medium-sized businesses. In the same survey, 85 per cent of companies complain of a shortage of IT specialists and 79 per cent expect a further worsening of the IT skills gap, while a long-term Bitkom study predicts a gap of around 663,000 IT specialists by 2040. At the same time, an analysis by the German Economic Institute (IW) shows that, on annual average in 2024, 31.6 per cent fewer jobs were advertised in the IT services sector than in the previous year. In 2026, the IT skills shortage is no longer a broad-based quantitative deficit, but a highly selective competency gap.
Added to this is a methodological misunderstanding regarding the duration of hiring processes. StepStone puts the average vacancy time in Germany, i.e. the time from the publication of the advert to the signing of the contract, at a record high of 180 days in January 2025. According to Bitkom, filling IT positions takes an average of 7.7 months. On the other hand, the actual time-to-hire after the first contact with candidates starts much later and is correspondingly shorter. This discrepancy is caused by unclear requirement profiles, lengthy internal budget coordination and inefficient passive job advertisements before the actual search begins.
Role Family | Market Situation | Realistic Vacancy Duration | Recommended Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|
1st-Level Support & IT Administration | Candidate surplus due to AI and automation | 4 to 8 weeks | Precise job advertisements, automated pre-selection and rapid screening |
Cloud Architecture & DevOps | Severe shortage of field-tested senior profiles | 4 to 6 months | Targeted direct outreach and exact tech-stack matching |
Cybersecurity & NIS2 / GRC | Acute bottleneck with no significant open market | 6 to 8 months | Proactive sourcing, specialised networks and structured culture fits |
AI / Machine Learning & Data Engineering | Extreme shortage of MLOps and production experience | 5 to 7 months | Focus on concrete practical projects and flexible working models |
The calendar beats the salary
Many medium-sized business managers assume that IT specialists are primarily lost to the salary offers of large corporations. In practice, however, the picture is different: qualified senior candidates usually hold two to three interviews in parallel on the hidden job market. A corporation often requires several weeks for coordination and scheduling. Medium-sized businesses that maintain the same sluggish calendar lose talent willing to change before a contract offer is even on the table. Speed in the recruiting process is the most effective competitive advantage you can establish immediately without any additional budget.
The 48-hour formula for lean decision-making loops
To use process speed as a genuine competitive advantage, companies should define fixed service level agreements for the entire hiring process:
Feedback on profiles and applications within a maximum of 48 hours
A maximum of two focused interview rounds instead of multi-stage committee loops
Binding decision and contract offer within a maximum of ten working days after the final interview
These response times only work if internal prerequisites are clarified beforehand. The salary band as well as budget approval must be fixed, interview slots must be reserved in the departments' calendars in advance, and the decision-making manager must participate personally in the very first meeting. Anchoring these principles firmly in your holistic tech recruiting strategy will secure you the decisive advantage in competing for sought-after developers.
Tailoring roles instead of copying corporations
A common mistake made by medium-sized employers is to imitate job advertisements from large corporations: long lists of requirements, rigid hierarchical levels and non-binding platitudes about agile working methods. However, experienced developers and security experts rarely switch jobs for formal titles; instead, they seek tangible responsibility, short communication paths and visible work results.
Transparency on stack, salary and team size
A convincing role profile sets itself apart from the corporate standard through maximum transparency and concrete facts:
Specific tech stack: Name exact versions, frameworks, cloud environments and architecture standards instead of using generic phrases.
Open salary band: A transparent salary range builds trust, filters out unsuitable expectations immediately and noticeably increases the response rate from passive talent.
Team size and decision-making paths: Describe the team composition, direct supervisors and the actual approval processes for architectural decisions.
Real creative freedom: Clearly state which systems can be newly built or modernised on one's own responsibility.
When the technical profile has this level of depth, proactive active sourcing also achieves measurably higher success rates. Senior candidates are significantly more open to specific project contexts and genuine technological challenges than to vague career promises.
When external support is cheaper than continuing the search
Every month that a critical key role remains vacant causes significant vacancy costs due to delayed software releases, overloaded core teams or compliance-relevant project risks. Economically, these opportunity costs often exceed the fees of specialised partners after just a few months of inactivity. The key is choosing the right recruiting model for the respective need.
Initial Situation | Recommended Option | Economic Justification |
|---|---|---|
Standardised roles with sufficient regional market supply | Internal recruiting | Cost-effectively manageable through own channels with clearly defined internal process standards |
Critical specialist roles with acute shortage (e.g. S/4HANA, cloud security) | Permanent recruitment | Minimises vacancy time through direct access to passive specialists and drastically shortens the search |
Several parallel vacancies or continuous team building | Embedded recruiting (on demand / RPO) | Reduces time-to-hire by 30 to 55 % and scales capacities flexibly without increasing internal staff |
Temporary project peaks or acute bridging needs | Freelancers & contract staffing | Delivers vetted profiles within 48 hours to secure milestones on time |
Those who compare the costs of external recruitment consultants with the real costs of unfilled positions benefit from specialised partners with established networks. Nova Search draws on a pool of over 8,000 vetted tech professionals and delivers a first qualified shortlist in just 5 working days via a two-stage screening process consisting of a technical deep-dive and a culture interview. With a 90-day guarantee and structured feedback within 48 hours, the hiring risk for medium-sized businesses is predictably minimised. How effectively this targeted approach works is proven by the practical example of avodaq AG, where a demanding leadership role was successfully filled within just 8 weeks after previously being vacant for months.
Sources
FAQ
How many vacant IT positions are there in 2026?
According to current figures, there is a cross-industry shortage of 109,000 IT specialists in Germany. At the same time, 85 per cent of companies report concrete bottlenecks, while almost 80 per cent expect the shortage to worsen further in the coming years.
How long does it take on average to fill an IT position?
The average vacancy duration for specialised IT roles is around 7.7 months. The pure time-to-hire, i.e. the time from initial contact to signature, is significantly shorter. The difference is mainly due to long internal approvals and lead times.
Which IT profiles are the most difficult for medium-sized businesses to fill?
The biggest bottlenecks are not in generalist roles such as traditional support, but in specialised areas. These include cloud security, NIS2 GRC, S/4HANA migrations and machine learning with real production experience in particular.
How can medium-sized businesses better attract IT talent?
The most important lever is process speed. Medium-sized enterprises should provide feedback within 48 hours and make decisions after a maximum of ten working days. A clear role definition with visible creative freedom convinces experienced profiles more than mere platitudes.
When is an external recruitment consultancy worthwhile for IT positions?
External support is worthwhile as soon as project delays caused by an unfilled position become more expensive than the consultancy fee. Flexible models such as embedded recruiting can reduce the time-to-hire by 30 to 55 per cent and resolve bottlenecks in the long term.
How does Nova Search support the filling of IT roles?
Nova Search is focused on specialised tech recruiting in the DACH region and delivers an initial qualified shortlist for specialist vacancies within 5 working days. Companies benefit from a two-stage screening process and a contractual 90-day guarantee.
