Highly strategic workforces ‘now blend AI with human IT contractors’

Telltale signs that IT contractors have a client stuck in analogue, instead of a “forward-thinking” engager -- which increasingly means blending contractors with AI, have emerged in a workforce poll.

Guidant Global set out to test the premise that UK plc now fully appreciates that the “rise of AI and digital transformation means businesses must rethink how they build their teams.”

The talent solutions provider polled 300 HR, procurement and IT professionals about the premise by asking about their workforce’s challenges for the next 12-18 months.

‘90% of companies to increase specialist contracting hiring’

Nine out of 10 companies plan to “increase their use of specialist contractors” in the next 18 months, found the poll, run by Guidant Global in conjunction with Raconteur.

And more than half (54%) cited “technical skills gaps” as a “major challenge”, notably in Cybersecurity (54%) and Artificial Intelligence (53%). 

The four auspicious findings (at least for ContractorUK readers) aren’t the only valuable insights that the respondents’ answers hold for flexible workers and end-hirers.

‘For a blended workforce, integrate flexible talent with AI expertise’

“Organisations are increasingly turning to blended workforces; a combination of internal, contingent, and external talent, to meet evolving demands and accelerate growth,” Guidant Global said, speaking after the results.

“[And those] organisations that successfully integrate flexible talent with AI expertise into their operations are not only addressing urgent skills gaps, but future-proofing teams to be capable of high-impact delivery.” 

A “blended” workforce, which is a “tailored, multi-tiered staffing mix,” as Guidant Global’s Simon Blockley defined it in a statement on Friday, isn’t entirely new.

In fact, hiring organisations have long split their workforces into two staffing categories, giving rise to a ‘perm-contract ratio,’ like ‘70:30.’

‘Three-quarters of employers anticipate blending internal and external teams’

But a “striking” finding from Guidant’s poll -- that 75% of employers now foresee “blending” their internal and external teams over the next one to two years, is new.

“Blending flexible and permanent talent, supported by robust strategy and a forward-thinking mindset, is the key to unlocking value, driving innovation, and staying competitive in the AI era,” the talent solutions provider says.

‘A forward-thinking mindset means workforce planning for agility’

Mr Blockley, Guidant Global’s CEO, further explained to ContractorUK:

“A ‘forward-thinking mindset’ means workforce planning for agility, for future needs, not just reactive headcount.

“It’s about blending permanent, contingent and service provider talent with AI, to fill skills gaps, boost innovation, and move faster.

“Contractors [will] know they’re with the right client when they’re trusted, valued, and given space to contribute.”

‘Due to volatility, some UK organisations prefer a mix of outsourcing and FTC hires’

A specialist at placing contractors in IT roles across the UK, Matt Collingwood, says briefs for ‘blended talent solutions’ are now par for the course.

“Today in 2025, and following a rollercoaster of an economy in recent years, many sectors are experiencing extreme volatility in the staffing market.

“And with employer costs only increasing, some businesses prefer [a mix of] outsourcing and taking on FTCs -- even if it costs more, because they don’t want the liability of permanent heads."

‘A big full-time workforce is no good if you want to be an acquisition target’

Boss at IT staffing firm VIQU, Mr Collingwood continued to ContractorUK: “This way, [with Fixed-Term Contracts], their maximum exposure is the length of the contract.

“Likewise, due to the market, we’re seeing lots of mergers and acquisitions. Businesses that are considering a sale do not want large, expensive, permanent workforces, because it reduces their attractiveness.

“Therefore, yes, we are certainly seeing a more agile, flexible approach to types of resource from certain companies and sectors.”

According to Guidant Global, offshore/nearshore teams are the third least popular resource option for the next 12 months, ahead of part-time employees (41%) but behind RPO (58%).

And Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) will be slightly less popular than Managed Service Providers (59%, rising to 61% over the next 18 months), and Statement of Work engagements (64%).

‘Seven in 10 employers to hire more independent contractors over the next 12 months’

Freelance “independent contractors” were acknowledged in their own right in the Guidant Global poll, distinct from “specialised skill contractors.”

But both contractor groups accounted for the largest two slices of the resources ‘pie,’ with 69% of employers set to hire more ‘independents’ (rising to 75% of respondents over 18 months), and 81% (rising to 90% of respondents over 18 months) set to hire more ‘specialised.’

Growing demand for niche skills, competition for candidates and accelerating digital transformation were the first, second, and third largest drivers, respectively, of the workforce augmentation plans.

‘Flex with business needs’

Regardless of which resource-slices look the most appealing, Guidant Global is advising that the key for engagers is to have a blended staffing model -- one that can “flex with business needs.”

And recommended as part of that blend, as it can potentially equate to a whole additional slice of the resourcing pie, is Artificial Intelligence, says Impellam Group’s Brian Salkowski.

‘Leading organisations no longer rely on permanent hiring’

Chief experience officer at Impellam Group (which is Guidant Global’s parent company), Salkowski says: “In a modern workplace, there are many different ways of getting work done.

“[But] leading organisations no longer rely simply on permanent hiring.

“[Instead they] adapt and move at speed to tackle future challenges. 

“The world of work is evolving at an unprecedented pace, and traditional workforce models simply can’t keep up. We are in the era of agility, where success belongs to companies that can adapt, scale, and innovate in real-time.”

‘Embrace AI, strategically, as if you don’t learn, you’ll fall behind’

Helena Wasserman, co-founder of Investors for Climate, posted on social media -- just this month:

“Artificial Intelligence didn’t replace me, it supercharged me.

“A year ago, I was buried in admin and client work. Now I spend that time on strategy and growth.

“I cut costs by 30% and freed up 15 hours a week. What changed? I embraced AI -- strategically.

“Some still resist it. Say it’s lazy or unethical. I get it. But if you don’t learn to use it, you’ll fall behind.”

According to Guidant’s poll, 53% of employers say Artificial Intelligence is “critical” to their future success.

‘More than seven in 10 corporates confident of AI boost’

However, IT contractor jobs giant Hays indicates it may be a higher proportion than a slim majority.

The FTSE-listed recruiter confirmed to ContractorUK that its new Tech Contractor Day Rate (collated in July 2025), shows that 73% of end-hirers are “confident” AI will positively affect their operations in the next 12 months.

Contractor accountancy firm DNS Associates, an employer of more than 120 people, says there’s no need to wait until the end of the calendar year to enjoy AI’s advantages.

‘Artificial Intelligence is changing the rules of business -- right now’

The accountancy firm’s founder, Sumit Agarwal, explains: “I love AI. Not because it’s trendy. Not because it’s in every headline.

“I love AI because it’s changing the rules of business -- right now. It’s not just automating tasks; it’s transforming how we think, decide, and grow.

“In the right hands, AI becomes a business growth engine. [That means three things, so far for us;] faster, smarter decisions, personalised experiences at scale, and problems solved before competitors even spot them.”

‘We're pairing human expertise with AI’

Agarwal says that for his accountancy practice, “pairing human expertise with AI” has not just improved efficiency, it’s also ‘sharpened vision and accelerated action’.

However, freelance IT contractors have expressed reservations about how easily they can upskill to Artificial Intelligence.

Tech recruitment boss Mr Collingwood, of VIQU, clarified to ContractorUK. “There are entry ways available to tech professionals who want to get into AI.

‘AI platform jobs require post-graduate education and maths background’

“I would caveat that, though, by saying it depends on what level and complexity of AI the freelance tech professional wants to get into.

“If the individual’s ambitions include data science, big research projects, or working on complex AI platforms, then the professional will likely need to have an extensive post-graduate education and a background in mathematics.

“However, there’s a lower barrier to entry for professionals who are looking to help businesses with the adoption, training and rollout of certain AI products.”

‘Chatbots and LLMs leading the way’

According to Hays, Chatbots and Large Language Models (LLMs) are the primary AI technologies being invested in (by 63% of organisations as of July 2025, up from 48% in 2024).

Machine Learning (ML) is the next most popular AI technology (47%), followed closely by Robotic Process Automation (44%).   

Hays says increased productivity is the driver of AI investment (31%), followed (in order) by customer service improvements, new revenue stream development, cost reductions, and compliance/error reduction (10%).  

‘To succeed, AI pilots must translate value from a tech spec to a business case’

Motivations aside, it’s not guaranteed that blending AI with human contractors, as Guidant Global says successful firms are doing, will necessarily materialise -- even if tech teams are willing and able.

Kieran Scully, principal recruiter at AI staffing firm Wave Talent, acknowledged that an AI team might come up with the most innovative pilot to date.

“But if they can’t translate its value from a technical spec to a clear business case,” it's destined to not secure sign-off, he says.

‘Risk lens’

An AI/ML product director, Olga Znayko, says a “common” problem is an “AI solution in search of a problem,” whereby the focus is on the tech, rather than a real issue in need of a fix.

And Keith Atkins, an AI adoption strategist, advises against framing outcomes in technical metrics that C-suite leaders don’t track; pitching cost savings without showing where freed capacity will be redeployed, and ignoring the “risk lens” that executives use to weigh up a new capability.  

‘2025 is the year that AI swept the world, with many companies trialling AI autonomy’

Tal Barmeir of BlinqIO, an AI-powered software firm, is alive to new capabilities too, even if they're already leaving some companies in their tracks.

“2025 can be earmarked as the year that AI swept the world…[as] many companies [are now] practising ‘AI autonomy’ -- the ability of a system to operate independently, make decisions, and execute tasks, removing the need for human intervention.

“[However] many companies are struggling to embrace the technology at the speed required,” Barmeir, the software firm’s co-founder says.

“[It’s  a problem epitomised by] GPT-5, described as a ‘significant leap in intelligence’ [as it] knows when to respond quickly, and when to think longer to provide users with expert-level responses.”

‘Skills mapping is a trait of leaders in workforce strategy’

Knee-jerk reactions, such as rushing to master OpenAI’s latest offering, isn’t a hallmark of a successful workforce strategy, however, even if agility is key, indicates Guidant Global.

According to its poll, leaders in workforce strategy emerged as more likely to have formalised processes in place for skills mapping (52%), resource planning (43%) and departmental hiring (40%), “setting themselves apart from lagging competitors.”

‘Reluctance to adapt and invest in modern talent strategies’

Asked how companies can go from ‘lagging,’ to ‘excelling’ -- with an “agile, blended workforce harnessing AI to supercharge performance,” as he put it, Guidant’s Mr Blockley told ContractorUK:

“The main barrier for businesses stuck in outdated models is a reluctance to adapt and invest in modern talent strategies.

“It's not just about budget; it's about mindset and embracing change. Overcoming this requires a shift towards agile workforce planning, prioritising skills over roles, and embracing flexible workforces.

“We can see this from our most recent research, where 52% of leading organisations now use formal skills mapping to identify capability gaps and optimise workforce composition.

“To effectively transition, companies need to challenge the status quo, invest in technology, upskill existing staff, and embrace collaboration with external talent, ensuring they stay competitive in the increasingly AI-driven landscape.”

Maryann Jamieson, a former CIO of mortgages, savings and insurance at Barclays UK, said: “The workplace has evolved. Your [workplace] strategy should too. Don’t let outdated thinking limit your potential.”