Updated
Updated · Business Insider · Jul 11
Big Tech Shifts 55% of Hiring to Engineers as Design Roles Drop 48%
Updated
Updated · Business Insider · Jul 11

Big Tech Shifts 55% of Hiring to Engineers as Design Roles Drop 48%

3 articles · Updated · Business Insider · Jul 11

Summary

  • 55% of new hires at major tech companies are now software engineers, up from 46% in 2019, even though overall hiring remains below pre-pandemic levels.
  • SignalFire data shows AI is reshaping org charts more than eliminating engineers: engineer hiring is down 11% since 2019, but other functions have contracted far faster.
  • Design hiring has fallen 48%, product management 39%, and marketing 36%, leaving companies with leaner structures centered on technical talent.
  • The shift suggests Big Tech is prioritizing roles tied directly to building and deploying AI while trimming specialized support functions.

Insights

Tech lays off thousands yet hires more engineers. What is the real story behind this paradox?
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