Top Tech Hiring Trends of 2026

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Experts predict to see more than 300,000 new IT jobs opening up annually over the next decade in the US alone, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics research.

During the same time, tech sector employment is said to grow twice as fast in comparison to other industries, as revealed by a 2025 CompTIA report. Opportunities in the tech industry seem to be on the rise. This could be good news, particularly for the surge of new entrants into the tech job market.

But what does this really mean for our tech graduates in the years to come?

The Tech Sector Needs People

On a global scale, the demand for tech jobs appears to be increasing exponentially. Supply-demand gap analysis from a Draup Annual Tech Talent Report predicts that the total demand for occupations in software development alone will increase by approximately 36% in the next two years. This means that we can expect 49.5 million jobs and individual talent in the global software development market by 2028. 

Locally, the demand for tech talent is also set to rise. The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) has said we can expect an increase in job opportunities at a compound annual growth rate of 7.59% each year. More specifically, the tech industry is seeking for talent in fields such as data, cybersecurity and software development, with significant growth projections reported by CompTIA. 

Tech Hiring Trends 2026

However, the industry limitations still persist. 

While job opportunities may be on the rise, there have also been reports of decreased hiring by employers. Indeed revealed that tech job postings in the US have reduced by 36% over the last five years. Moreover, the tech talent market is undeniably a competitive one. The global tech talent pool currently hosts close to 60 million individuals, according to Draup figures. 

The AI Influence

On top of existing employment constraints, the surge of AI use in recent years has changed the tech job market entirely. Hiring individuals with AI talent has increased by more than 300% in the last 10 years, according to an annual report published by Microsoft and LinkedIn. A Draup study predicts that 92 million jobs will be displaced by 2030 such as in big tech companies like Google or Meta.

The same study revealed that Google reportedly utilizes AI to generate approximately 30% of code, contributing to faster and more efficient outputs. Intrinsically, this means that graduates who cannot work with AI will find traditional, entry-level roles almost impossible to secure in the future. In specific regions, GenAI use in businesses located across the US, UK and Singapore nearly doubled in one year, according to The State of Tech Talent 2025 Report. This not just highlights a clear demand for AI-focused skills in the sector going forward, but also proves how AI is reshaping itself quicker than education or hiring can keep up. 

However, there isn’t just a demand - there’s also a gap. Hiring leaders have expressed a challenge in finding applicants with adequate AI skills (63%), including in sectors apart from tech. The State of Tech Talent 2025 report also revealed that 99% of HR professionals received requests to include AI skills as a job requirement. These decisions may spark concerns around low tech employment rates or even the possibility of AI replacing future tech jobs. However, these studies prove that it isn’t the jobs themselves that are being replaced, rather the existing skill sets that are going out of date. General Assembly calls this missing piece ‘skill fusion’ – where people now need to both reskill and upskill to keep up with market demands.

So where does that leave our tech graduates?

The problem? The tech sector is experiencing a shortage of adequately skilled and sustainable talent.

Despite the recent barriers to employment in the tech industry, there proves to be a demand for more specialized skills in the tech field. Our list below suggests a few tech job roles you might want to consider in your career based on tech hiring trends 2026.

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning (ML) Engineers

One of the most in-demand roles in the sector at present. AI / ML Engineers perform like trainers for computers. They build systems that can produce their own, logical outputs all by itself, just as popular softwares like Chat GPT, Gemini or CoPilot do. These engineers feed data to AI software as they build the ‘brain’ of the AI known as Models. They teach these softwares to identify patterns and continuously train and test them to ensure the AI gets the answers right every single time. Once the AI software is finally developed, it can be applied as products including facial recognition or even your ‘recommended’ list on Netflix. 

According to EasyUni, AI and Machine Learning Specialists can earn anywhere between RM6,000 to RM12,000 per month on average. The demand for this role is expected to be on the rise, as AI-related job postings alone have increased by 103% in Malaysia since 2021, according to PwC's 2025 Global AI Jobs Barometer. The State of Tech Talent 2025 report also showed that candidates with AI skills were likely to be offered higher salaries if they asked, with 68% of employers in the US agreeing to these requests.  

2. Software Developer

On a global scale, software development is one of few occupations experiencing the highest talent supply-demand gap, according to the Draup Annual Tech Talent Report 2025. The job scope involves using code to create specific sets of instructions that tells a computer what to do, step-by-step. Common programming languages used include JavaScript or Python. Once the code is written, developers spend time testing and debugging their programs to ensure every bit works smoothly, without any errors or crashes. When the final product is launched, for example a brand-new app, developers have to remain hands-on to make sure the systems are secure, run more efficiently or even add new features as part of innovation. 

3. Cybersecurity Expert

Cybersecurity faces the largest talent gap at present. The Draup Annual Tech Talent Report 2025 shows that the disparity is projected to rise by 3%, leaving a shortage of approximately 4.4million individuals in the sector globally. A core part of cybersecurity engineers or analyst roles involve protecting digital systems. They conduct risk assessments to identify weak points in a system. They then build defence mechanisms such as firewalls, encryption and multi-factor authentication to implement strict security measures.

On top of this, they monitor for threats and identify suspicious online behaviour to ensure systems remain protected 24/7. Malaysia currently faces a critical shortage of cybersecurity professions, with an estimated demand of 27,000 specialists in 2025 according to the Malaysia Cybersecurity Market Research Report. 

4. Data Analyst

   
   

In this role, professionals are in-charge of cleaning up data and organizing it into accurate and accessible information. They then identify patterns and explore any connections or causal factors to the data. Data Analysts often visualize data into more engaging, easy-to-understand formats such as through charts or infographics to summarize important information. Finally, they offer advice on next steps that can inform strategic business decisions. 

So what's next?

The current gap between existing skills and those required for the future tech job market appears to be prevalent. Employers do not just consider degrees anymore. They consider real-world impact. The State of Tech Talent report revealed that 18% of HR professionals were more likely to look at certifications and non-degree education when hiring for tech roles such as in data analytics, software engineering and UI/UX. In addition, employers place significant weight on soft skills and 95% of HR respondents have expressed difficulty in sourcing candidates equipped with this. 

As the workforce poses its growing demands and challenges, it becomes increasingly necessary to keep up to remain relevant in a fast-paced, technologically advanced world. Education needs to evolve to keep up with the changing demands in the sector, and AI fluency is becoming a requirement now more than ever. The change begins now, whether you’re just leaving university, in your full-time tech role, or as an aspiring tech individual.

At EZA, we are committed to filling these skills and knowledge gaps. We teach you to leverage AI responsibly alongside a practical education that develops the computational and logical-thinking skills you need to navigate the future tech landscape. 

Whether you’re looking to upskill or start from scratch, explore how we prepare you for tomorrow here.