2026 tech and IT hiring trends

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Technology teams are being pushed to innovate faster while maintaining secure, stable environments, especially as AI reshapes how work gets done across the organization. At the same time, many teams are facing gaps in the specialized skills needed to support priority projects and day-to-day operations. The strain is most visible in AI integration, security and software development projects, making it harder to sustain progress and manage risks.

Robert Half research shows leaders are responding by expanding permanent teams and increasing use of contract talent to support critical work and evolving technology demands. Organizations that recruit professionals with strong technical and soft skills while adopting flexible staffing strategies will be better positioned to accelerate innovation, prioritize security, and support evolving business and technology needs.

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Impact of skills shortages

Critical, ongoing skills shortages have made it harder for technology teams to execute priority projects. This is prompting delays, and some initiatives are being put on hold as leaders address these shortfalls.

of technology leaders say skills shortages have led to project delays in the last year. of technology leaders say skills shortages have led to project delays in the last year.

report projects have been canceled. report projects have been canceled.

Impacted projects

Shortages in AI, IT operations and cloud skills are slowing progress across key initiatives—from AI implementation to digital security—while also limiting teams’ capacity to build those capabilities from within. Many businesses are bringing in contract talent to quickly close these gaps.

AI integration

Security of systems and information

Software engineering and development

Automation and DevOps

Cloud projects

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The need for soft skills in an AI era

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

Key technical competencies

An analysis of thousands of job postings over the past year shows which technical competencies employers value most in technology—making a competitive hiring strategy essential.

Skills

AI adoption

Automation workflows

Continuous integration

DevSecOps

Enterprise software applications

Governance

Machine learning

Product management

Software proficiencies

Apache Kafka

Databricks

Microsoft Azure

Microsoft Power BI

Splunk

Terraform

Hiring plans for 2026

65%

of tech leaders say finding skilled professionals is more challenging than a year ago.

78%

plan to increase permanent headcount in the second half of 2026.

66%

plan to increase contract or temporary hiring in the second half of 2026.

Roles shaping hiring strategies

The following positions have been experiencing 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/ML engineer

Cybersecurity engineer

Network/cloud engineer

Software engineer

Systems administrator

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More to explore

Labor market overview Stay on top of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and job posting data to learn about today’s hiring market.

Small business recruitment trends Get up to speed on small business staffing trends and find out what it takes to attract and hire top talent.

2026 Salary Guide Explore the latest data for roles across 7 professional fields and what you should pay or earn in local and national markets.

2026 Technology job market: In-demand roles and hiring trends See the latest tech hiring trends for 2026, from AI engineers to cybersecurity specialists, plus strategies to compete for in-demand IT talent.

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 the U.S.

Over 1.5 million new positions from more than 9,000 independent job boards and company websites are represented in this report, including thousands of placements from Robert Half. Positions are categorized into more than 430 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, non-clinical healthcare, and human resources professions.