Recruiters are signaling a crisis in physical therapy and a shift away from broad software engineering titles, according to new data released by SignalHire. The contact intelligence platform analyzed tens of thousands of recruiter searches between January and April 2025 and the same period in 2026, revealing dramatic changes in hiring priorities.
The most striking finding is the surge in demand for physical therapy roles. US searches for Physical Therapist grew 1,473% year over year, while Physical Therapist Assistant searches increased 5,717%. These figures suggest that the physical therapy shortage is already a pressing issue, not merely a future projection. Hiring managers are sourcing candidates proactively, recognizing that the competition for talent is intense and that filling these roles takes time.
In contrast, searches for "Software Engineer" fell 68% globally year over year, with a 75% decline in the UK. However, this does not indicate a reduction in technical hiring. Instead, employers are seeking more specific expertise. For example, Java Developer searches rose 3,257% in the UK, and QA and Software Test Engineer searches increased 567%. This shift reflects the impact of AI tools, which have absorbed many tasks previously handled by generalist software engineers.
SignalHire's data also highlights other trends: recruiter searches for specific roles like Registered Nurse and Data Scientist showed significant growth, though details were not provided in the release. The report emphasizes that the window between current recruiter behavior and when these trends become widely visible in public data is critical for talent acquisition teams.
"The market is sorting," the report states. "The data shows where it is going. The question is whether your sourcing operation is positioned to move with it." SignalHire's platform, which offers over 850 million verified professional profiles, enables recruiters to identify and contact candidates in these high-demand fields. The full report is available at SignalHire.
For talent acquisition professionals, the implications are clear: early action in sourcing physical therapy candidates and refining job titles to match specific technical skills can provide a competitive advantage. The report underscores the importance of using real-time search data to anticipate market shifts rather than relying solely on official forecasts.
