Juniors vs. seniors in a tough market — why companies need to rethink skills
- Cyber Instincts AB
- 4 dec. 2025
- 3 min läsning
When price pressure meets demands for senior experience
In an economy characterized by price pressure and uncertainty, companies understandably want to save money. Consulting budgets are being cut, recruitment requirements are being tightened, and in the pursuit of “risk minimization,” many are coming to the same conclusion: we just want senior experts .
The problem is that the equation doesn't hold. Companies try to save money by pushing down prices, but at the same time they demand the most expensive skills on the market.
It is not a cost-saving strategy, but a way to make yourself dependent on a resource that is both expensive, difficult to obtain, and impossible to scale.
Efficiency is not the same as seniority
When we look at how requirements profiles are designed in different industries, not least in the automotive industry, it is remarkable how often it says “10+ years of experience” for roles that largely contain tasks that a junior with the right support could handle. Many projects are based on activities such as documentation, analysis, preparation, coordination, testing and data collection. These are not tasks that require a decade of experience, they require structure, commitment and responsibility.
Yet many organizations reflexively choose senior experts, even when the tasks do not require it. This creates bottlenecks, as seniors are then stuck in tasks that do not create value at the right level. It drives up costs, as their time is used incorrectly. And above all: it prevents juniors from entering the industry and developing, which in turn exacerbates the skills gap that is already being discussed everywhere.
A more sustainable model: the right skills at the right level
A smarter approach is to start at the right end: not with the requirements profile, but with the tasks. What really needs to be done by a senior? And what is something that someone with 0–5 years of experience can take responsibility for without affecting quality?
In practice, the proportion of work that requires senior level is often very small. Seniors are definitely needed, but not everywhere and not all the time. When seniors are allowed to focus on what really requires judgment and experience, and juniors take care of what is more executional, not only time is freed up, but also quality. A mixed team creates a better workflow, higher delivery speed and a more reasonable cost level.
It is also a model that is positive for everyone involved. Juniors come in with energy, pace and a new way of looking at problems. Seniors contribute stability, a holistic perspective and an ability to prioritize what really matters.
Together, they form teams that are more innovative, more robust, and significantly more scalable than teams built solely by seniors.
The consequence of opting out of juniors
The big risk with today's senior fixation is that we will end up with a labor market where experienced specialists spend large parts of their time on tasks that are not at their level, while junior talents never get the opportunity to develop. This is unsustainable for two reasons: economically and strategically.
Economically, because companies are stuck with high personnel costs without getting the corresponding value back. Strategically, because the lack of junior recruitment means that we are not building the senior competence of the future. All seniors started as juniors, but if no one lets them in anymore, there will soon be no one to recruit at all.
How we build teams that work in both recessions and booms
To change this, extensive organizational projects are not required. Two things are required:
Map out the tasks honestly — not based on old requirement templates, but based on what will actually be done in the project.
Match the skills accordingly — and dare to let juniors take responsibility for what they can grow in, while seniors focus on what requires their expertise.
This is how companies build teams that are more cost-effective, more accurate, and more sustainable, even when the market squeezes prices and resources.
We believe in an industry where more juniors have the opportunity to grow and where seniors get to work on what really creates value. When more people do the same thing, we get a labor market that is both financially cohesive and developing in the right direction, for everyone.