It’s been just over two years since the public release of ChatGPT – a landmark event that kicked off the GenAI wave. Since then, we at Rockstar Recruiting have seen hiring dynamics in Switzerland, particularly in the Greater Zurich Area, that we wanted to talk about in the "AI Talk Podcast".
Together with Stephan Lendi and Dalith Steiger-Gablinger, we explored in their podcast the AI Talk Podcast – The Swiss AI Landscape how AI affects the market for candidates and companies. Before we dive into the topic, we want thank the teams that made this episode possible, namely: Newbury Media & Communications Ltd, & SwissCognitive | AI Ventures, Advisory & Research, as well as SwissICT and Innovation Zurich.
Switzerland’s Rise as an AI Talent Magnet
Switzerland is quickly becoming a hub for global AI talent. Tech heavyweights like OpenAI and Anthropic have recently opened offices here. Companies like Google DeepMind, Revolut, and many more are ramping up their local AI-related hiring efforts - right here in Zurich.
But it’s not just the tech giants. AI-driven roles are on the rise in: AI consulting firms, B2B SaaS startups, Fintech & Insurtech scaleups, Healthcare & pharma innovators, Industrial and logistics firms exploring applied AI... and the list goes on!
A Paradox: High Demand Meets a Pessimistic Market
Despite the rise of AI roles, the overall (tech) recruiting market remains subdued. According to the Swiss Staffing Index which surveys the Swiss recruiting market, the overall market remains pessimistic in 2025: Temporary work hours are down 6.3% year-over-year, Revenue from permanent placements has dropped by 25.2%. And yes, we also hear from well qualified candidates in tech who are experiencing a hard to navigate labor market - even in Switzerland.
At the same time, we're at Rockstar Recruiting are experiencing optimistic clients in the AI domain and are hearing from highly qualified candidates — many with strong technical backgrounds — who send out dozens of applications without landing interviews.
So, what’s going on? What are the drivers behind this paradox: A pessimistic recruiting market, but a hiring boom in AI?
The Shifting Role Landscape
AI definitely has an impact on the hiring market. It looks like one of the clearest and most significant shift is the decline in junior hiring in tech. It seems that many tasks that were previously done by newjoiners in tech are now taken over by AI coding assistants. Also senior roles are affected - for example in fields were AI already is making significant contributions, like UI/UX, manual QA, or traditional frontend engineering are increasingly being automated or complemented by GenAI tools. On the other hand, demand is surging for highly specialized new roles, such as:
- LLM Security Engineers – experts preventing malicious prompt injections and jailbreaks.
- AI Engineers – professionals who fine-tune large language models for specific use cases.
- AI Product Managers – able to align evolving capabilities with business needs.
In other words: The jobs haven’t disappeared — they’ve evolved.
Navigating the Experience Paradox & Evolving Skillsets
Employers now often prefer candidates with AI proficiency over those with traditional experiences, creating a paradox where new graduates are expected to have skills typically acquired on the job. In addition, domain experience is valued - hence we recommend candidates to build on top of previous experiences within industries or functions in addition to gaining AI skills.
- Domain Knowledge: Currently, we see an increased demand in fields such as defense, cyber security, robotics, bio- and physical inspired AI, legaltech, fintech - including blockchain. We recommend career seeking candidates seeking to change industries to pick an industry that’s expected to grow strongly in the foreseeable future.
- Develop your AI Literacy: Developing skills in AI tools, prompt engineering, and data literacy can provide a competitive edge - learn to use the new tools and maybe get certified here and there along the way.
- Certifications: In a lot of regulated fields, certifications are relevant - and also help candidates ensure a long-term perspective on a stable career that cannot be disrupted by AI. Such certifications can be of any kind - ranging from AML (Anti Money Laundry) to Military Clearance.
- Soft Skills Development: Enhancing abilities in communication, problem-solving, and adaptability remains crucial, as these are areas where humans outperform AI.
- Continuous Learning: Engaging in lifelong learning and upskilling can help navigate the evolving job landscape.
From Remote to Reconnected: Hiring Gets Local/Swiss Again
Another emerging trend is the rebalancing of remote work. Many companies are gradually — and sometimes decisively — shifting back toward in-office or hybrid models. In high-stakes domains like AI, collaboration, innovation, and rapid decision-making often thrive when teams share a physical space.
That’s why we’re now seeing a clear uptick in hiring in Switzerland. Companies are bringing back strategic roles — leadership, team leads, key decision-makers — to their local hubs. In-person syncs often beat the theoretical savings of offshore labor, especially when every decision counts and speed matters.
AI is a major driver of this shift. It’s making us all faster. The bottleneck is no longer code output but alignment — and nothing aligns teams like real-time, face-to-face collaboration. Stakeholder updates, product pivots, cross-functional discussions — they’re simply more effective in person. Add in the serendipitous conversations at the coffee machine, and it’s easy to see why Swiss offices are humming again.
At the same time, the traditional advantages of offshore setups — mainly lower labor costs — are being diminished. AI tools level the playing field by automating large parts of the development process. What matters more now is seamless coordination, contextual understanding, and tight feedback loops — all of which are easier to achieve locally or in closely aligned time zones.
This isn’t a rejection of global talent — far from it. It’s a new phase of Hybrid Recruiting: blending the reach of international hiring with the strategic impact of colocated teams. And in this new hybrid era, Switzerland’s tech ecosystem is becoming more competitive than ever - especially for leadership roles in AI/tech.
What We're Building at Rockstar
At Rockstar Recruiting, we’re not just watching these changes — we’re actively responding. We're building AI agents that help match CVs to job profiles, improving speed and quality in the hiring process. Our tools support:
- Skill inference and intelligent ranking
- Matching based on career trajectory and potential
- Document processing
We believe AI should enhance human decision-making — not replace it. If you want to learn more about our internal AI processes and potentially collaborate - please feel free to reach out.
Bonus: Candidate Tips on the Podcast
If you're a candidate, check out the end of the Podcast — where we share some straightforward tips to boost your chances of success in today's hiring environment.
