AI Skills Top List of Hardest-to-Find Talent for 2026, ManpowerGroup Survey Finds
According to ManpowerGroup's 2026 Global Talent Shortage Survey, which surveyed over 39,000 employers across 41 nations, 72% of companies struggle to fill vacant positions, maintaining a rate above 70% for seven consecutive years. Notably, skills related to AI have overtaken traditional engineering and IT as the most challenging to find, with AI model/application development at 20% and AI literacy at 19%. In the U.S., the most difficult roles to fill are in supply chain and logistics, surpassing even AI positions. The ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study for 2024 reveals a 4.8 million gap in cybersecurity professionals, especially in cloud security and incident response. Additionally, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates a 9% increase in electrician jobs from 2024 to 2034. Lastly, the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025 identifies analytical thinking as the most essential skill.
Key facts
- ManpowerGroup 2026 Global Talent Shortage Survey polled 39,000+ employers across 41 countries; 72% cannot fill open roles.
- AI model and application development is the hardest skill category globally, cited by 20% of employers.
- AI literacy for non-technical roles is the second hardest skill, named by 19% of employers.
- In the U.S., supply chain and logistics operations are the hardest positions to fill in 2026.
- ISC2 2024 Cybersecurity Workforce Study estimates a global cybersecurity workforce gap of about 4.8 million people.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects electrician employment to grow 9% from 2024-2034, with ~81,000 openings per year and median wage $62,350 (May 2024).
- World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025 ranks analytical thinking as the most essential skill, named by 70% of employers.
- Adaptability and resilience rank as the second most essential skill category in the WEF report.
Entities
Institutions
- ManpowerGroup
- World Economic Forum
- ISC2
- CompTIA
- SANS
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Locations
- United States
Sources
- Quartz —