AI fear might not be the only reason tech talent is holding tight to their jobs (www.zdnet.com)

A new Indeed survey of 1,000 tech professionals (May 22–June 10, 2025), combined with job-posting data, finds tech workers are less worried about layoffs (31% now vs. 39% a year ago) and far less likely to job hunt (41% would leave after unrelated layoffs vs. 70% a year ago). At the same time, 26% report coworkers were let go because of AI and 35% fear AI could replace their role. Job postings have slowed—tech management roles down 19% and non-management down 34%—but demand remains for specific, under-listed skills: distributed computing, machine-learning frameworks, model deployment, and site reliability engineering. For the AI/ML community this signals a nuanced shift: AI is reshaping hiring and roles but isn’t the sole driver of the “great stay.” Macro and market risk—slower, hyper-competitive hiring (Workday: new requisitions +29% y/y, yet 57% of roles take >30 days to fill and offers attract ~40 applicants)—is encouraging talent to stay put, diversify income, or upskill rather than jump companies. Practically, expect increased demand for engineers who can productionize models and run distributed ML systems, longer recruiting cycles, more internal stagnation, and a higher premium on deployment and SRE expertise as teams prioritize resilience and retention over rapid headcount growth.