How to Build a Tech Workforce Strategy That Scales with Business Growth in 2026

As the new year begins, progression is on the mind of most business owners. But when it comes to developing a tech workforce strategy that scales alongside business growth, there are specific steps to success.

Emanate Technology are the experts in IT and tech recruitment, and in this article, we offer practical advice on when and how to scale your tech team. Gain valuable insights from our Associate Director in Software Development, Testing, and Data and Analytics markets, Morgan Bell, and learn how to build a scalable tech team that leads to business growth in 2026.

When should you consider scaling tech teams?

Taking a leap and growing your tech team can feel daunting, but it’s a necessary step for your business. Here are a few signs that it’s time to consider a more effective tech workforce strategy that aligns with your goals for the new year. 

1. 
   Your staff are struggling, and people are burnt out, working long hours with little support. Your senior members are spread too thin, spending time on coding and testing, rather than future-proofing the business with new designs.
2. You don’t have the skills in your existing team to meet demands. Customers and clients require services and skills that your business doesn’t provide, and you no longer align with market demands or competitor offerings.
3. You have no time left for innovation. When a single person makes minor decisions, or no one has time for strategy and growth discussions, it creates a bottleneck to innovation.

If you’re still unsure when to scale, a specialist recruitment agency like Emanate Technology can offer expert guidance. Our day-to-day work with growing businesses gives us a clear understanding of when building a tech team makes strategic sense.

In Australia, tech companies are expanding like never before. According to Deloitte’s Tech Fast 50 Awards, the average rate of growth among 2025’s winners was 739%. So, having a dedicated IT hiring strategy for business growth is essential. 

How to build a scalable tech team: 5 steps to success

Building your tech team requires a balancing act of supporting realistic, responsible growth and recruiting people who align with your business’s vision and goals. Here are five simple strategies that ensure you create an IT hiring strategy that achieves growth and adds value.

1. Assess your current team structure

What are your business’s strengths and weaknesses? Are there skill gaps preventing you from delivering on your company’s goals and vision? What does the market demand? By answering these questions, you’ll get a clearer picture of what your tech workforce strategy needs.

“I recommend beginning with a review of where the backlog is currently blocked or slowed,” Morgan says. “For example, if a project has a hard delivery line, and you’ve spent too much time on design and strategy, you need to hire Developers rather than Architects or Business Analysts. If your senior staff are spending 60+ hours working on solutions and others are experiencing burnout, it’s time to hire support.” 

A solid long-term recruitment strategy should align with the market, including considerations such as the growing dominance of AI in tech. Ask yourself whether the niche that grew your business is still relevant, and whether you need to expand into technical skillsets that the market demands.

2. Create a framework for how you’ll handle growth

As your business grows, and your tech team with it, you’ll need a framework in place that determines how you deal with recruitment. At the early stages, as you grow from 10 to 100 staff, having a flexible framework is key. Once you pass the 100-employee mark, you can lock down more formal processes.

In this technology workforce planning framework, consider things like:

• 
  How you’ll measure people and team performance, including KPIs and reviews.
• What you’ll offer for compensation, and how to determine salary and other benefits (Check out Emanate’s latest Technology Salary and Rates Guide for help).
• Your business vision and values, and how new hires will align with these.
• What your people managers will do, and which teams they’ll be responsible for.
• Your leadership and delivery model, as well as different iterations for the next five years, depending on growth.

Working with an experienced recruitment agency like Emanate can help bring this framework to life. By combining market insight with a deep understanding of how tech teams scale, a recruitment agency can help you define realistic growth pathways, align role design with business objectives, and ensure your technology workforce planning remains flexible as your organisation evolves.

3. Quality over quantity

As operations ramp up and your tech needs become urgent, it’s common for businesses to hire as many people as quickly as possible to help. However, Morgan advises against this approach.

“Growth and reputation will always prevail over speed, so allocate your recruitment budget to the quality of staff rather than quantity,” he says. “More doesn't equal faster in tech teams. If your staff are capable, they usually require less management, reducing the need to spend more in this area.” 

Likewise, the first senior hires you make will shape your business's culture for years to come. So, consider how valuable they can be for growth. 

4. Hire for adaptability, not just skills

In tech, things move fast. You want a team that can adapt and grow as your business does. Hard skills are obviously necessary, but in this industry, people who are curious and resilient are even more crucial. 

“It’s important not to put all your eggs in one basket,” Morgan says. “Grow around your niche and product, but be flexible to what the market offers.” As part of your tech workforce strategy, offer training and development benefits to all your staff so they continue to grow and evolve with the tech industry.

5. Create a long-term tech recruitment strategy

It’s common to build a tech team based on current demands. But you must also consider the future of your business. Although it’s impossible to avoid reactive hiring in tech, you don’t want to make all of your recruitment decisions based on urgency alone. 

“I recommend hiring one step ahead of your workload, rather than three to five steps ahead, which is a common mistake in tech,” Morgan says. “Businesses hire too many good people who end up on the bench, leading to an irreversible culture hit.” When you only hire with a plan that the business will grow, things can sour if the market turns for the worse.

Partnering with a specialist recruitment agency like Emanate can help bring structure to your planning. With deep experience supporting businesses through different stages of growth, recruitment partners can help shape a long-term tech recruitment strategy that aligns with your commercial goals, market conditions, and internal capability, ensuring each hire supports sustainable growth rather than short-term pressure.

Need to build a scalable tech team?

With the right tech team in place, you’ll provide better solutions, gain a more supportive and adaptable team, have room to innovate, and prime your business for whatever comes next.

Emanate Technology understands the nuances of our industry and how to build a long-term tech recruitment strategy. Contact us to scale your tech team and achieve business growth in 2026.