The 10 hottest IT skills for 2026

Checkout these hottest IT skills for 2026

The rise of AI has created more demand for IT skills to support the emerging tech’s implementation in organizations across every industry. These top skills have seen the most growth since 2024, according to new data from Indeed.

Gen AI has reshaped the IT skills market as companies restructure for AI strategies, and prioritize candidates and employees with AI skills. Data from Indeed’s 2025 Tech Talent Report show that the top four roles affected by AI-related restructuring include software engineers and developers, QA engineers, product managers, and project managers. Companies are now focusing their efforts and hiring budgets on professionals with skills in cybersecurity, data analytics and analysis, and building or managing AI teams.

This reprioritization of IT roles has also created a shift in the most in-demand IT skills that jobseekers will want to have on their résumés. Organizations now expect candidates to have basic prompt engineering skills at minimum, even for entry-level IT roles. And beyond that, they’re looking for IT professionals who can help oversee, implement, secure, and manage AI tools and strategies.

Data from Indeed reveal these are the 10 IT skills that grew the most desirable between 2024 and 2025, based on how many times they appeared as a requirement in a job posting year over year.

AI

It’s no surprise that AI is at the top of the list for one of the most in-demand skills based on growth in tech job postings listed since 2024. Companies are scrambling to adopt AI as it rapidly finds its way into every industry and career path. In 2024, just over 5% of job postings required AI skills, and in 2025, that number grew to just over 9%. So candidates, even for those working outside of tech, are now expected to have some level of AI skills, whether it’s prompt engineering, natural language processing, or using AI for programming and coding.

Python

Python is a programming language used in several fields, including data analysis, web development, software programming, scientific computing, and for building AI and ML models. It’s a versatile language used by a wide range of IT professionals such as software developers, web developers, data scientists, data analysts, ML engineers, cybersecurity analysts, cloud engineers, and more. Its widespread use in the enterprise makes it a steady entry on any in-demand skill list. In 2024, just over 15% of job listings required Python skills, and that grew to just under 18% in 2025. Although more organizations are relying on AI for coding, they still need skilled professionals who understand key programming languages to write more complex code, and to help with prompt and QA code written by AI.

Algorithms

As more companies embrace AI and its ability to streamline coding and programming, organizations are also becoming more reliant on algorithms to help guide and dictate those processes. Algorithmic thinking requires a complex understanding of databases and programming, high-value critical thinking, and problem solving. Algorithm skills were listed as a requirement on fewer than .5% of job postings in 2024, and that jumped to over 2% in 2025, which is a significant increase for a skill that was hardly mentioned in job listings just a year ago. AI has taken over more of the entry-level work, leaving organizations looking for higher-skilled professionals who can help build and guide AI systems, and who understand how to build efficient algorithms.

CI/CD

Continuous integration and continuous delivery or deployment skills have grown in demand in the wake of AI implementation to help streamline the software development lifecycle. Professionals with CI/CD skills can handle tasks such as building tools used for automation and scripting, and have a strong understanding of concepts such as containerization, cloud integration, and automated testing. In 2024, just under 7% of job listings looked for CI/CD skills, and that number jumped to just over 9% in 2025.

Google Cloud

Google Cloud is a popular platform to build, deploy, and manage IT solutions for an organization, with several certifications offered by Google to certify your professional skills with, and knowledge of, Google Cloud. Organizations have adopted the cloud in recent years, moving tools, services, and data storage to solutions hosted by Google’s cloud services. Cloud tools are critical for AI development, allowing for more versatile and agile storage solutions to host the large data sets required to train and run AI tools. Google Cloud skills were a requirement for around 3% of job listings in 2024, but that rose to just over 5% in 2025.

AWS

Amazon Web Services is the most widely used cloud platform today. Central to cloud strategies across nearly every industry, AWS skills are in high demand as organizations look to make the most of the platform’s wide range of offerings. It’s a common skill for cloud engineers, DevOps engineers, solutions architects, data engineers, cybersecurity analysts, software developers, network administrators, and many more IT roles. In 2024, AWS skills were still popular and were listed as a requirement on over 12% of job listings, which jumped to just under 14% in 2025.

Analysis Skills

AI has taken a lot of entry-level and rote work off the table for IT professionals, which has created more room for higher-level skills such as analytical thinking. Since AI still doesn’t create perfect outputs with every prompt, companies need a human eye and analytical mind to catch AI hallucinations and errors, especially when it comes to numbers and data. Analysis skills have been critical for organizations for a while now; in 2024, just over 19% of job listings required analysis skills, a number that surpassed 21% in 2025.

Cybersecurity

An increased reliance on AI has created more vulnerabilities for organizations. As they take more products and services online and integrate AI, more opportunities are created for security attacks. Cybersecurity skills were a requirement on around 2% of job listings in 2024, which grew to just over 4% in 2025. Whether organizations look to integrate AI into cybersecurity solutions or help prevent new sophisticated attacks that use AI to breach systems, security is a top priority for organizations as they move forward with AI.

Software troubleshooting

Although organizations are increasingly using AI to write basic codes and scripts to build software tools, organizations still need human IT professionals to identify flaws, security issues, and other potential anomalies in the final product. Software troubleshooting skills were listed as a requirement on just over 9% of job listings in 2024, but this year, that number grew to just under 11% of listings. It’s an area of IT that requires communication, problem-solving, critical thinking, and technical skills to identify software issues and troubleshoot problems for clients and customers.

Machine Learning

ML is fundamental to AI development and requires a strong expertise of not only AI but also natural language processing. Organizations are seeking professionals with ML skills to support AI initiatives, and the future of AI adoption in the enterprise. In 2024, there were around 3% of job listings that looked for ML skills, and that number went over 5% in 2025. IT professionals with ML skills will continue to be in demand as companies embrace AI processes and look for professionals to help support and maintain AI systems.

Credit: Sarah White, CIO Magazine