2026 Canada Tech and IT Hiring and Employment Trends

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3.1%* December 2025 unemployment rate

As companies accelerate digital transformation, technology and IT leaders are prioritizing talent who deliver measurable business outcomes. Security, AI integration and data initiatives remain critical drivers of growth and operational stability, yet rising workloads and shifting expectations make it hard to align skills with priorities.

These demands are changing how tech teams are built. Organizations need talent who can work across functions, turn data into informed decisions and support AI initiatives. To address priorities in 2026, many technology leaders are blending permanent hiring with contract professionals and focused upskilling.

Hiring managers: Get customized insights and workforce strategies from a Robert Half talent solutions professional.

Strategic priorities for 2026

Technology and IT leaders shared their strategic priorities for 2026. Expect demand—and competition—to increase for professionals with the specialized skills needed to advance these critical initiatives.

Security of IT systems and information

AI and ML integration

AI governance and ethics strategy

Data science, analytics and governance

Software engineering and development

Tech and IT teams face skills shortfalls that can stall critical initiatives. Only 5% of leaders reported having the necessary headcount and skill sets to accomplish priority projects this year, and 69% said they need to upskill current team members.

Flexible staffing solutions can also help teams gain the necessary expertise to keep operations running smoothly.

AI and
machine
learning IT governance
and
compliance IT operations/
infrastructure Cloud
architecture/
operations Data
engineering
and analytics AI and
machine
learning IT governance
and
compliance IT operations/
infrastructure Cloud
architecture/
operations Data
engineering
and analytics

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Critical
thinking and
problem solving Adaptability
and continuous
learning Creativity and
innovation Communication Emotional
intelligence Critical
thinking and
problem solving Adaptability
and continuous
learning Creativity and
innovation Communication Emotional
intelligence

Skills in highest demand

Recruiting professionals with specialized abilities enables leaders to advance strategic initiatives. An analysis of thousands of job postings over the past year shows which technical proficiencies employers value most in technology—making a competitive hiring strategy essential.

Technical skills

.NET framework

Artificial intelligence (AI literacy)

Continuous integration

Cybersecurity

DevSecOps

Governance

Large language models (LLM)

Machine learning

Software proficiencies

Apache Kafka

Databricks

Microsoft Azure

Microsoft Power BI

Splunk

Terraform

Hiring plans for 2026

50%

of tech leaders say finding skilled talent is more difficult today than a year ago.

48%

expect to increase headcount in the first half of 2026.

41%

plan to increase contract hiring.

Roles shaping hiring strategies

The following positions have experienced above-average sequential growth and consistent demand throughout the past 12 months, according to an analysis of thousands of job postings and Robert Half placements:

AI architect

Cloud engineer

Cybersecurity analyst

IT operations manager

ML developer

Software engineer/developer

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More to explore

Labour market overview Stay on top of Robert Half and Statistics Canada job posting data to learn about today’s hiring market.

Staffing for small businesses Stay competitive in today’s hiring landscape with trends and strategies specifically tailored for small businesses.

2026 Canada Salary Guide Explore the latest data for roles across 6 professional fields and what you should pay or earn in local and national markets.

In-demand tech roles Dive deeper into the tech roles most in demand. Also learn what proficiencies and skills are growing in demand.

*Statistics Canada, seasonally adjusted, January 2026.

The surveys cited were developed by Robert Half and conducted by an independent research firm. Results may not total 100% due to rounding or allowing for multiple responses. Respondents included executives, hiring managers and workers from small (10-99 employees), midsize (100-999 employees) and large (1,000+ employees) businesses in private, publicly listed and public sector organizations across Canada.

Over 650,000 new positions from more than 4,900 independent job boards and company websites are represented in this report, including thousands of placements from Robert Half. Positions are categorized into more than 365 job titles within Robert Half’s Salary Guide using a proprietary mapping methodology that employs state-of-the-art large language models. This dataset includes roles across the finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal, administrative and customer support, and human resources professions.