Samwise High Tech Recruiting Newsletter
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
US Tech Firms Step Up Q3 Hiring as 74% Report Trouble Finding AI Talent
U.S. technology and IT employers plan to ramp up hiring in the third quarter even as most report difficulty finding qualified people, according to the latest Experis Tech Talent Outlook released June 17 by ManpowerGroup’s Experis brand. The U.S. net employment outlook rose to 47%, up six points from the prior quarter and 13 points since the start of the year, but 74% of employers said they struggled to find talent as AI skills became a top priority. The most in-demand skills were AI literacy at 34%, AI modeling and app development at 33%, and traditional IT and data at 29%. Globally, the outlook fell seven points to 35%.
Sources: Staffing Industry Analysts
Forward Deployed Engineer Becomes AI’s Most Fought-Over Role as Labs Race to Hire
The Forward Deployed Engineer has become artificial intelligence’s most fought-over role, with the biggest labs paying six-figure salaries to hire engineers who embed inside client companies and wire AI models into their data and workflows. In May 2026, OpenAI launched a standalone deployment business backed by more than $4 billion and acquired applied-AI firm Tomoro, bringing roughly 150 FDEs aboard. Google Cloud posted 59 FDE openings across the U.S. and abroad; New York and Atlanta applied-AI roles list base pay of $127,000 to $183,000, with senior bands reaching the low $200,000s. Anthropic is recruiting founding FDEs and embedding engineers at financial-technology firm FIS, Tech Times reported June 13.
Sources: Tech Times
Tech Layoffs Average 1,115 a Day in 2026 as Companies Cite AI Without Showing Returns
Tech layoffs reached an average of 1,115 job cuts per working day in 2026, nearly double 2025’s pace, with 247 layoff events displacing 183,966 workers as of June 14, Tech Times reported June 16. Meta cut roughly 8,000 roles in May while planning over $100 billion in AI spending, and Oracle executed the year’s largest single cut at about 30,000 jobs. Yet a May 2026 Gartner survey of 350 executives at billion-dollar companies found that firms cutting the most showed nearly identical financial returns to those cutting least. Separately, MIT’s NANDA study found 95% of enterprise generative-AI initiatives produced zero measurable return, fueling charges of “AI washing.”
Sources: Tech Times
Nearly Half of US Workers Plan a Job Search, With Tech Among the Most Likely to Move
Nearly half of American workers plan to look for a new job in the second half of 2026, with young tech and healthcare professionals most likely to move, according to a Robert Half survey of more than 2,000 workers released in June and reported June 16. The firm found 46% planned a job search within six months, a 19% increase from a year earlier. Healthcare professionals led at 56% and tech workers followed at 49%, while 55% of Generation Z employees said they would look. Top motivators were benefits and perks at 47%, career advancement at 43%, and remote-work options at 39%. Nearly half called AI an obstacle.
Sources: Staffing Industry Analysts
Employment Confederation and IOM Form Pact to Advance Global Talent Mobility
The World Employment Confederation and the International Organization for Migration have formalized a partnership to advance ethical labor mobility across borders, Staffing Industry Analysts reported June 16. The agreement will focus on skills matching, employer engagement and worker support across the migration cycle, the organizations said. The pact comes as employers worldwide, particularly in technology, contend with persistent talent scarcity and look beyond domestic markets to fill specialized roles. Cross-border mobility has become a growing lever for filling AI and engineering positions that local pipelines cannot supply, even as immigration policy tightens in several major economies. The partnership aims to support both employers seeking talent and workers moving between countries.
Sources: Staffing Industry Analysts
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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