Randstad finds banks and healthcare firms outbidding tech for software engineers

New research from the recruitment giant shows non-tech employers paying premiums of up to 17% as AI demand rises and tech layoffs climb For years, the best software engineers had an obvious career path: join a tech company, collect the stock grants, enjoy the free snacks. That path now has serious competition from employers who used to lose these bidding wars. Banks, healthcare companies and other non-tech employers are now paying software engineers more than tech firms do, according to new research from recruitment giant Randstad. The driver is a surge in demand for AI skills, landing at the same moment layoffs are flooding the market with experienced engineers. The premium is real, and it is sizable Randstad’s report, titled “Tech talent in transition: building the AI-ready workforce,” puts numbers on the shift. Banks are offering software engineers a 13% salary premium over tech companies. Healthcare and life sciences firms go further, paying up to 17% more. The sectors once seen as slow-moving and conservative are suddenly the ones writing the bigger checks. The research surveyed 1,100 business and technology decision-makers across 11 countries, including France, Germany and Ja...