2026 Tech and IT Hiring and Job Market Trends

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As companies accelerate digital transformation, technology and IT leaders are prioritizing talent that delivers 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.

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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

Data science, analytics and governance

Software engineering and development

AI governance and ethics strategy

Technology teams face skills shortfalls that can stall critical initiatives. Only 7% of tech leaders reported having the necessary capabilities to accomplish priority projects this year, and 65% said they need to upskill current team members.

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

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

Key technical competencies

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 competencies employers value most in technology—making a competitive hiring strategy essential.

Technical 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 said finding skilled professionals is more challenging than a year ago.

61%

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

55%

plan to increase contract or temporary hiring in the first 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 Discover the top hiring trends in technology for 2026 and the roles most in demand. Learn how to attract and retain skilled tech professionals in a competitive market.

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.