2026 State of Tech Talent Report

48% of organizations report security concerns as the top barrier to AI adoption, up from 17% in 2024.

97% of organizations commit to implementing AI.

43% of organizations say security concerns prevent them from getting value from AI, while 36% cite cost management challenges, 34% cite a general skills gap, and 30% cite legacy systems limitations.

Capability gaps exist across the AI stack: 57% report gaps in AI security and risk management, 57% in AI operations and monitoring, 54% in cost optimization, and 45% in AI infrastructure expertise.

57% of organizations are upskilling existing staff as the primary response to talent gaps, compared with 49% hiring new technical staff.

57% of organizations report a significant capacity gap in AI security and risk management.

Upskilling outperforms hiring: it provides a 7.9x advantage in business context, a 7.7x advantage in staff retention, a 7.3x advantage in team cohesion, a 5x advantage in total cost, and a 3.5x advantage in quality of work.

40% of organizations report being understaffed in cybersecurity and compliance.

The up-front cost of replacing technical professionals is typically 80% of their salary.