Why Companies still struggle to find the right IT talent, despite higher unemployment

The IT job market has gone through a slower period in recent years, and unemployment has been higher than before. In Estonia, for example, it reached around 7.5% in 2025. At the same time, hiring activity is gradually picking up again.

But Companies are still struggling to find the right IT specialists. At first glance, this can feel contradictory. There are more candidates on the market, more applications coming in, and yet the outcome is often the same - the role stays open, or the match isn’t quite right. In practice, the issue is rarely about the number of candidates. In many cases, there are plenty. The challenge is that the profiles companies are looking for are still difficult to reach, and even harder to engage.

The thing is - experienced IT professionals don’t apply everywhere. They remain selective. They look at how clearly the role is defined, what kind of team they would be joining, and whether the position offers something meaningful. If those elements are unclear, they simply don’t engage.

At the same time, most job ads tend to attract candidates who are already actively looking for a new role. That’s only part of the market. Many strong candidates are not scanning job boards or responding to listings. They need to be approached directly, and in a way that resonates with their expectations.

Another pattern that comes up quite often is how roles are defined. Job descriptions tend to combine a wide range of expectations into one “ideal” profile. On paper, it makes sense. It significantly narrows the pool of people who actually fit, even when the overall number of candidates has increased.

So while the market has changed, the core challenge has not. Hiring the right IT specialist is still not about generating more applications. It’s about clarity, focus, and how well the search is targeted. When the approach relies only on visibility (posting a job ad and waiting) it often misses the candidates who are the best fit.

What usually makes difference is a more focused approach. Understanding what is truly needed, knowing where to look, and engaging the right people directly. That shift is often less about doing more, and more about doing things differently.

If this situation sounds familiar, it might be a good moment to step back and rethink how the search is approached.