SignalHire, a B2B contact intelligence platform, has released findings from its analysis of recruiter search patterns between January and April 2025 compared to the same period in 2026. The data reveals dramatic shifts in hiring priorities, with physical therapy roles seeing explosive growth while broad software engineering titles lose relevance.
The most striking finding is the surge in searches for physical therapy professionals. Recruiter searches for Physical Therapist grew by 1,473% year over year, while searches for Physical Therapist Assistant skyrocketed by 5,717%. According to SignalHire, this indicates that the physical therapy shortage is not a future projection but an ongoing crisis. Hiring managers are actively sourcing candidates well ahead of official forecasts, recognizing that the competition for qualified professionals is intensifying. The data suggests that recruiters who begin sourcing early will have a significant advantage in filling their pipelines before shortages become widely acknowledged.
Conversely, searches for the job title "Software Engineer" fell by 68% globally and by 75% in the UK. However, this does not reflect a reduction in technical hiring. Instead, recruiters are shifting toward more specific roles. For example, searches for Java Developer increased by 3,257% in the UK, and searches for QA and Software Test Engineer rose by 567%. SignalHire explains that the broad "Software Engineer" title has become less useful as a search term because AI tools have absorbed many tasks previously handled by generalist coders. Hiring managers now seek candidates with precise technical expertise rather than broad coding abilities.
SignalHire, which provides access to over 850 million verified professional profiles with real-time email and phone verification, emphasizes that these trends offer a strategic window for talent acquisition teams. The market is evolving, and the data reveals where it is heading. Companies that adjust their sourcing strategies now will be better positioned to secure top talent before these shifts become widely visible in public data.
For more information, visit SignalHire.
