Where is the recruitment market heading in 2026?
In 2026, recruitment is moving away from rigid job descriptions and toward a much more flexible, skills‑based approach. Companies are focusing less on titles and more on what people can do, how big growth mindset they have and how fast they can learn. AI is also playing a bigger role. Smarter sourcing, screening, and matching tools are improving both speed and quality of hire. But it is important to mention that technology isn’t replacing people. Candidate experience, trust, and fairness remain essential. Recruitment is also becoming much closer to the business. Talent Acquisition is no longer just filling roles—but also advising the business. Workforce planning, understanding the talent market, and using data to plan are key.
What technological solutions do you find promising?
I am especially excited about technologies that help us understand skills more clearly and realistically. AI‑driven skills intelligence platforms are a great example—they look beyond job titles and focus on real experience, projects, and learning history. This makes it much easier to match people to the right roles and supports internal mobility and long‑term workforce planning. I also see a lot of value in advanced talent analytics and labor‑market intelligence tools. They’re becoming essential because they help us understand which skills are in demand, where gaps are likely to appear, and how to advise the business using real data instead of assumptions. And finally, AI‑powered sourcing and screening tools continue to be very promising.
If you could give one piece of advice to the industry, what would it be?
Stay close to the business, not just the process. Recruitment works best when recruiters truly understand what the business needs, not just what the job description says. The closer recruiters are to real challenges, context, and priorities, the better hiring decisions become (and the less rework everyone must be done). Also, employer brand is built in small moments. In CEE region, people talk. One bad interview experience travel fast—but so does a good one. How candidates are treated in interviews, how feedback is delivered, and how managers show up matters.
What would be the one lesson you would share from 2025 based on your professional activities?
Hiring managers expect Talent Acquisition to take the lead instead of just executing requests. For critical skills, moving people internally often worked better than going with external hiring. Upskilling talent, where possible, turned out to be quicker and more sustainable than chasing talents in overheated markets. At the same time, workforce planning became much more fluid—less about once‑a‑year plans and more about ongoing check‑ins, scenario planning, and regular skills forecasting as business priorities kept shifting faster than before.
What are the key recruitment and HR challenges in the CEE region?
One of the biggest challenges is still the shortage of critical skills—especially in tech, engineering, data, cybersecurity roles. Demand keeps outpacing supply, and competition is higher than even, during last 10 years. Talent Acquisition is feeling real pressure to step up strategically. Businesses want roles filled faster, better use of data, and clear insight into what the market can realistically support. Candidates, on the other hand, expect transparency, fairness, and good experience. Finding the right balance between speed, cost, quality, and trust has become one of the key recruitment challenges nowadays.
What are you preparing for recruiTECH CEE?
For recruiTECH CEE, I am preparing a set of real‑life case studies that show what it really takes to move recruitment from high‑volume hiring to a more strategic approach for complex talent acquisition. I will share what worked, what didn’t, and what had to change—especially around mindset, sourcing strategies, partnering with the business, and upskilling recruitment teams. Looking forward to meeting you all!
Thank you for the answers Jelena Radovic, Staffing Head at Tata Consultancy Services!