It has been an interesting last two years in high-tech recruitment, with a number of scalebacks and pivots from companies towards mainline product development over R&D, whilst notable hiring continued primarily for senior specialists. But in 2026, including as the heatwaves have rolled over Cambridge this summer, activity has been on the gentle increase.
Established companies are seeking skilled candidates for growth in their product development capability as well as for replacement roles. Defence is proving a growth area and ECM clients are offering a variety of related positions. Whilst startups still face funding challenges given conservative capital investment, it has been pleasing to see newer startups both looking to recruit and with some notable success stories in their lifecycles.
Whilst there are often many skilled applicants for the same role, demand has outstripped supply of candidates skilled in a number of areas, including FPGA development (especially where additional embedded software skills are needed), digital electronics in general, and desktop application development within science and technology.
This is still not the candidate's market it was a few years ago, and both management and graduate opportunities are still underserved. It remains to be seen how the latter half of 2026 will shape companies' optimism and whether that encourages investment in further growth.
Given the competition for the top roles, it is a time where care and attention to a CV and application is warranted. Given use of AI for job applications is frequently not the answer when your target audience are as technically skilled as you are, we advise speaking with a trusted recruiter to give yourself the best chance.
And if you are looking to hire, given applicant volumes are peaking, a skilled technical partner can select and introduce the top candidates for you that they are already working closely with, in addition to proactively searching for that specialist you may urgently need.
