Karat blog

Toronto jumped nine spots in Karat’s 2026 ranking of the top cities for engineering talent to become the fifth city in the world for elite engineering talent, with 29.2% of candidates estimated to be in the top quartile globally. For years, Toronto has been on the rise as a tech hub. Now, it is North […]

For the last two years, the narrative around software engineering talent was simple: talent was dispersing. Remote work, lower costs, and distributed teams were expected to flatten the global talent map. Companies (and top talent) were fleeing the coastal tech hubs in search of something different. Karat’s 2026 Top Cities data shows a different reality. […]

Artificial intelligence is reshaping not only how software is built, but how engineering excellence compounds into competitive advantage. Karat’s latest research shows that AI disproportionately amplifies the productivity and impact of top-performing engineers. Elite talent uses AI to accelerate development cycles, solve more complex technical challenges, and drive innovation at scale. As a result, performance […]

For modern CTOs and senior engineering executives, the mandate for Global Capability Centers (GCCs) has shifted. As noted in EY’s analysis of the sector, GCCs are no longer just cost-arbitrage plays; they are evolving into “AI-native enterprises” that lead global innovation. However, the transition from a skeletal satellite office to a high-performing innovation hub is […]

For most financial services organizations, software contractors aren’t optional. Whether it’s modernizing core systems, accelerating digital initiatives, or scaling delivery capacity, CIOs rely on IT Service Providers (ITSPs) to keep projects moving. But as many leaders have learned the hard way, contractor quality often fails to meet expectations. Last summer, Karat launched the first Partner […]

AI is reshaping software engineering interviews. As AI becomes increasingly embedded in engineering workflows, it’s changing the skills that engineers need and disrupting the effectiveness of traditional technical interviews. We surveyed 400 engineering leaders across the U.S., India, and China to understand how organizations are addressing this shift. Our data revealed five trends that will […]

Financial services (FinServ) organizations are increasingly relying on contract engineers. They’re among the top five industries driving outsourcing demand, and the European Central Bank found that banks increased their budget for information and communication technology services by an average of 2.1% from 2023 to 2024. Outsourcing provides access to specialized talent, as our data shows […]

The growth of global capability centers (GCCs) in India has exploded over the past few years. Hiring targets for 2024 were more than double that of the U.S., with an average of 790 open roles in India. This represents a 19% year-over-year increase. Real estate is also becoming impossible to find in GCC hubs such […]

AI is transforming the financial services (FinServ) industry, from trading to digital banking and fraud detection. As demand for digital innovation increases, FinServ organizations are increasingly relying on contractors and IT Service Providers (ITSPs) to deliver rapid progress while minimizing risk. Their expectations are rising at the same time, as engineering teams need to meet […]