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In the Linux Foundation’s 2024 survey, organizations more often reported building technical skills among existing employees than relying on hiring alone. The findings offer a snapshot of how respondents approached talent—not a current census of IT jobs or proof that one staffing strategy works best everywhere.
What the 2024 State of Tech Talent survey measured
The Linux Foundation’s 2024 State of Tech Talent Report drew on a web survey conducted from late December 2023 through early February 2024. It gathered responses from people responsible for hiring and training IT professionals. Of 1,455 people who started, 418 records remained for analysis after screening and data-quality exclusions. The report gives a ±4.1% margin of error at a 90% confidence level.
Respondents came from industry-specific organizations, IT vendors and service providers, nonprofits, academic institutions, and government, across regions and organization sizes. The survey was sourced through Linux Foundation membership and partner communities, social media, and a third-party panel provider. It is a respondent survey, not an exhaustive count of employers. Question-level sample sizes and handling of “don’t know/not sure” answers vary, and percentages may not total 100% due to rounding.
The September 3, 2024 Linux Foundation article, “The 2024 State of Talent in the IT Sector”, summarizes the report. Figures below describe responses in that survey and should not be read as 2026 workforce statistics.
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Why organizations developed existing IT staff
The report defines upskilling as enhancing an employee’s existing skills to meet evolving job requirements. Cross-skilling broadens technical employees’ capabilities so they can take on work beyond their primary expertise, giving organizations more flexibility.
In the Linux Foundation’s 2024 survey, 47% identified cross-skilling and 43% upskilling as key technical talent strategies. The article reports that 90% relied on these approaches to develop existing employees; 49% hired experienced IT professionals, and 19% used consultants. These approaches are not necessarily mutually exclusive: an organization can develop its current workforce while also recruiting or bringing in outside expertise.
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Across 19 technology domains, respondents prioritized upskilling or cross-skilling existing staff over hiring or consultants an average of 48% of the time, according to the Linux Foundation’s 2024 article. Cloud, DevOps, cybersecurity, and AI/ML were among the prominent domains. The cloud breakdown in the 2024 report was 54% for developing current staff, 24% for hiring technical staff, and 22% for consultants. That is a domain-specific result, not a split to apply to every technology area.
Training-only versus hiring-only strategies
The Linux Foundation’s 2024 report found that 39% of respondents said their organizations used training methods exclusively, compared with 29% that used hiring methods exclusively. The categories have an important overlap rule: hiring inexperienced professionals and then upskilling them counted in both the hiring and training totals. The figures therefore describe reported approaches, not a clean either-or choice across all organizations.
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The survey records preferences and reported practices; it does not demonstrate that training, hiring, or consulting produces better results in every organization. A practical decision depends on how quickly the organization needs capacity, how closely available skills match the work, and whether new knowledge can be applied on the job.
- Develop current employees when adjacent skills can close the gap and learners have time and opportunities to practice. Cross-skilling can also help distribute work beyond a specialist’s usual area.
- Hire experienced professionals when the work requires expertise that cannot be developed quickly enough internally. Recruiting still brings challenges around cost, time, matching candidates to requirements, and verifying claimed skills.
- Use consultants when external expertise is needed for a particular need or to supplement the team. The survey reports use of consultants but does not establish that they are faster or more cost-effective in any particular case.
Training itself takes more than providing course material: the report identifies sustaining continuous learning and turning knowledge into practical application as challenges. A development plan is more useful when it connects the skill being learned to real assignments and a way to assess whether the employee can perform the work.
What respondents said about technical headcount
Asked about 2023, Linux Foundation survey respondents reported mixed changes in technical headcount: 29% said it had decreased, 34% said it was unchanged, and 37% said it had increased. These are retrospective answers from the survey sample, not current employment data.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the 2024 survey expected from generative AI
For 2024, 27% of respondents expected generative AI to reduce technical headcount, 24% expected an increase, 29% expected no impact, and 12% were unsure, according to the Linux Foundation’s 2024 report. These were expectations at the time, not verified outcomes or forecasts for today.
Respondents also described planned uses of GenAI including data analysis and reporting, infrastructure monitoring, and software development. The survey captures plans and expectations; it does not show that GenAI caused the headcount changes respondents anticipated.
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