Cranbury, NJ, April 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Talent shortages are the single biggest challenge facing technology leaders in 2026, as artificial intelligence rapidly reshapes hiring priorities, according to the new Reveal 2026 IT Talent Survey, released today by global software leader Infragistics.
Eighty percent (80%) of technology leaders reported using AI in software development in 2025, and 77% named expanding AI use as their top strategic priority for 2026. This shift to AI is translating directly into job creation. Nearly half of organizations (48%) say AI adoption has led to new roles, compared with just 18% reporting AI-related layoffs.
Hiring staff with AI skills was a priority for 89% of organizations in 2025 and it has risen to 91% for 2026, underscoring the need for specialized talent. AI is also delivering measurable business value with two-thirds (66%) of organizations that improved productivity in 2025 attributing those gains to AI integration.
Hardest-to-Fill Roles
The survey reveals that organizations are struggling to fill several critical technical roles. AI engineers top the list of hardest-to-fill roles, cited by 39% of respondents, followed by cybersecurity engineers at 38%. Cloud engineers (25%) and data analytics professionals (24%) also rank among the most difficult positions to staff. Only 7% of respondents report no hiring difficulties, underscoring the widespread technology talent gap.
“These shortages reflect the complexity of modern technology environments now that AI is part of everyday software development,” said Casey Ciniello, Reveal and Slingshot Senior Product Manager, Infragistics. “Organizations are discovering that adopting AI is easier than finding the people who know how to build, deploy and secure it.”
As AI adoption expands, so do concerns around ethics, governance, and security. Half of respondents cite responsible AI use as a major challenge, while 48% point to security and privacy risks. In response, organizations are strengthening governance frameworks and seeking professionals with expertise in areas such as data privacy, bias mitigation, explainability, and secure AI deployment.
Python and AI Skills Are In Demand
Beyond specific roles, the Reveal survey identifies the technical skills most in demand across organizations. Python ranks highest, cited by 56% of respondents, reflecting its central role in AI development, automation, and data science. Artificial intelligence and machine learning skills follow at 47%, while Java (34%) and cybersecurity expertise (33%) remain widely sought after. Competition for highly skilled professionals continues to intensify.
“The demand for AI and Python expertise is growing faster than the talent pipeline can supply it,” said Jason Beres, COO of Infragistics. “Organizations aren’t just looking for coders anymore. They need engineers who understand data, automation, and AI systems. The real competitive advantage is access to skilled talent.”
Half of all respondents (50%) report difficulty recruiting and retaining skilled technical staff, while 80% say talent shortages are already impacting operations. Among large enterprises, 47% indicate that workforce gaps are directly limiting their ability to meet business goals.
Senior Talent Dominates Hiring Strategies
The survey also reveals a preference for senior-level talent. While 30% of organizations plan to hire in 2026, only 12% expect to focus on entry-level talent. Approximately 70% prioritize senior-level professionals, particularly those with AI expertise.
This trend reflects the increasing complexity of modern development environments, where integrating AI, managing cloud infrastructure, ensuring compliance, and securing data require advanced technical experience.
Data and Analytics Gains Strategic Importance
The growing reliance on data-driven decision-making is also reshaping workforce demand. The survey finds that 85% of organizations use business intelligence tools internally, while 76% deploy embedded analytics within applications. Additionally, 84% expect to increase their focus on analytics in 2026.
As analytics becomes more deeply embedded in business operations, organizations are competing for data analysts, BI developers, and analytics engineers capable of managing data pipelines, building dashboards, and integrating insights into applications.
“Analytics is no longer confined to dashboards. They are being embedded directly into the applications people use every day,” said Ciniello. “That shift is driving demand for professionals who can connect data pipelines, analytics, and user experiences inside operational systems.”
The Reveal 2026 IT Talent Survey underscores a technology labor market defined by rapid innovation and growing specialization. While AI is reshaping job roles, it is not eliminating them. As digital transformation continues, professionals who combine deep technical expertise with adaptability and ethical awareness will be best positioned to succeed. Read the full report here.
Survey Methodology
The Reveal 2026 IT Talent Survey was conducted in partnership with Dynata in December 2025. The survey includes responses from 250 senior technology leaders, including C-suite executives, CIOs, CTOs, VPs, IT managers, and directors responsible for software development and business intelligence across mid-market and enterprise organizations.
About Reveal
Reveal is an embedded analytics platform from Infragistics that enables software teams to bring conversational analytics and AI-driven insights into their enterprise applications. Built for developers, Reveal integrates seamlessly into any app with flexible SDKs for web, desktop and mobile. By embedding AI directly into the analytics experience, Reveal empowers end users to ask questions about their data, understand what’s happening and take action–all within the application they’re already using. With built-in governance and predictable cost controls, Reveal helps companies introduce AI-powered analytics at scale while maintaining the performance, flexibility and visibility enterprise environments require.
About Infragistics
Infragistics provides the world’s largest enterprises with tools and solutions to accelerate application design and development and foster team collaboration. Over two million developers worldwide use Infragistics’ enterprise-ready UX and UI toolkits to rapidly prototype and build high-performing applications for the cloud, web, mobile and desktop. Reveal is an award-winning developer-first embedded BI platform for ISVs and software teams needing scalable analytics with no user or data limits. App Builder™ is a low code platform that accelerates app development by streamlining the design to code process, delivering production-ready, enterprise-grade code for Angular, Blazor, Web Components and React frameworks. Slingshot is an AI-powered work management platform that simplifies business analytics to enable companies to make more informed decisions, faster. Infragistics clients represent 100% of the S&P 500, including global software providers who rely on Infragistics when reliability and performance are non-negotiable.
- Reveal Survey Identifies the Hardest-to-Fill Technical Roles
- Python and AI Skills Are In Demand