1、May 2026 Marco Gerosa,Ph.D.,Northern Arizona University Adrienn Lawson,The Linux Foundation Anna Hermansen,The Linux FoundationForeword by Clyde Seepersad,Linux Foundation Education2026 State of Tech Talent Report Not a jobs crisis,but a skills crisis with an upskilling answer 2026 State of Tech Tal
2、ent ReportCopyright 2026 The Linux Foundation|May 2026.This report is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License.Please cite this research report when using the infographics.See citation guidance on the reports back page.97%plan to use AI,and 55%ex
3、pect significant value in software development.Understaffing remains widespread in AI(47%),cybersecurity(40%),cost optimization(36%),and platform engineering(34%),though the trend is improving.Upskilling existing staff is the leading strategy for closing AI talent gaps and preserving institutional k
4、nowledge,rated important by 94%of organizations.Upskilling is favored over hiring for business context(7.9x),retention(7.7x),team cohesion(7.3x),and lower total cost(5x).Technical training(93%)ranks above compensation(91%)as a retention strategy,suggesting that technicaltalent values opportunities t
5、o grow.Upskilling existing staff(57%)is the primary response to talent gaps,ahead of external hiring(49%).Capability gaps in AI security and AI operations each affect 57%of organizations.AI continues to expand technical hiring in IT,with aggregated net hiring effects of+26%in 2025 and+31%in 2026.76%
6、of hiring managers consider certifications important for evaluating a candidates technical skills.Organizations are 3.5 times more likely to upskill than to hire across strategic technological domains.Security concerns(48%)and budget constraints(47%)are the leading barriers to getting value from new