No, and this may seem unexpected considering all the layoffs being shared on social media for the past year. The net tech employment market is expected to increase by around 1.9%, bringing the addition of about 128,000 jobs to push the tech market above 9.8 million employees. The number of postings is also increasing. The Dice tracking shows tech postings to be increasing by 27% annually until June, with a 35% increase in monthly postings from the manufacturing sector alone in the same month. Hence, no, the market is not collapsing. Instead, it has become very selective about whom it allows entry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just imagine a party that would allow anyone. Now a bouncer is checking the ID cards and the ID card required is the one that has “fluent in AI” written on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, because if you are either early career or a generalist, things have definitely changed for you. Since 2022, there has been a decrease in entry level software jobs anywhere between 50 and 67%. The rate of computer science unemployment now stands at 6.1%, which is higher than those of many non technical disciplines; this was unimaginable ten years ago. In its 2026 AI Index, Stanford University reported that employment for software engineers 22-25 years old had declined by nearly 20% since 2024, whereas engineers aged 30+ at the same firms had seen their employment increase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the other hand, there has been an increase in AI skills demands to 75% of US tech job postings, up from 73% last month, which is a 178% increase compared to last June. Cybersecurity openings have increased by 124% yearly. According to current estimations, there is still a shortage of 4.8 million cybersecurity jobs globally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In conclusion, it is not one story; it is two stories running at the same time, and reading only the headlines makes one see only half the picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here is the split laid out plainly, because a table honestly explains this better than three more paragraphs could.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Somewhere in that middle column is where most job seekers are standing right now, a little confused, wondering which version of the market they are actually competing in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because the job itself evolved much faster than most candidates’ CVs did. According to seventy% of IT professionals, the influx of AI-driven applications has led them to increasingly rely on staffing or consulting firms, mostly because of volume and their ability to locate individuals with actual, proven AI skills. It is a rather ironic twist. Artificial Intelligence brought the flow of CVs into the inbox; therefore, artificial intelligence is needed to filter it out. It is similar to cleaning up the mess left by a leaf blower using a leaf blower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In one forum, an anonymous software engineer put it quite succinctly \u2013 it is not that there are no positions; it is just that they have become very different. Where they were previously employing ten generic software developers, they are now employing six specialist developers and are spending the remaining budget on AI tools. On the surface, it is the same amount of money being spent. In reality, it is totally different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This could not be further from the truth, so breathe easy. You are facing a sifting process, not a die-out. According to the WEF Future of Jobs Report, AI is expected to create about 11 million jobs by the year 2030 while eliminating 9 million jobs, so the net result is an overall gain, notwithstanding the difficult ride in the middle. Cybersecurity alone is expected to grow by 33% till 2034 for information security analysts, which makes it one of the fastest growing fields in the technology domain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What this advice does not mean today is any longer “learn to code.” It is a known fact that everybody knows how to code \u2013 or can make someone else code something for them. What the advice means today is more like “learn how to be irreplaceable in a way that no language model can fake.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n First of all, you have to determine which side of the divide you are on. If you are applying to tech jobs with a resume that seems stuck in 2021, update it because the hiring manager who is skimming through 100 applications in search of one candidate does not have time to figure out your potential. Acquire one AI skill that can be applied to your field specifically, not some generic certificate that is owned by many others. Apply the specialization you are comfortable with in the field, whether it be security, cloud infrastructure, data or any other niche.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do not take this silence personally either. The fact that 65% of technology hiring managers still claim that they do not have enough skilled employees, despite having a higher unemployment rate in certain tech sectors compared to the national average, means that this is a structural problem, not your lack of value. It is an odd, sometimes infuriating market, where employers complain about inability to find talent and job-seekers complain about inability to find work at the same time, and both parties are right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2026 tech hiring is not dwindling, but splitting into two highly divergent paths, and learning which path is yours is a more important part of the job hunt than ever before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the case of changing careers and discovering how well your abilities match up in this changing market landscape, it can be helpful to discuss things with those familiar with the process \u2013 whether mentors, recruiters, or organizations like MindLabs that work directly with the companies doing the hiring.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Stats<\/th> Old Hiring (2020 to 2022)<\/th> Current Hiring (2026)<\/th> Where It’s Heading (2027 and beyond)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Who gets hired<\/strong><\/td> Generalist developers, broad headcount growth<\/td> Fewer generalists, more AI and security specialists<\/td> Hybrid roles: specialists who can also operate AI tools<\/td><\/tr> Entry level roles<\/strong><\/td> Plentiful, low bar to entry<\/td> Down 50 to 67% since 2022<\/td> Redesigned around customer facing problem solving, not boilerplate code<\/td><\/tr> Resume screening<\/strong><\/td> Human recruiter reads every application<\/td> AI screens AI generated resumes, high volume, uneven quality<\/td> Skills based assessments replace resume keyword matching<\/td><\/tr> Top hiring goal<\/strong><\/td> Fill seats fast<\/td> Improve quality of hire, 44% want AI friendly hiring processes<\/td> Predictive, data driven hiring pipelines<\/td><\/tr> Hot skill<\/strong><\/td> Full stack development<\/td> AI fluency, cloud, cybersecurity<\/td> AI governance, applied security, systems thinking<\/td><\/tr> Company reflex under pressure<\/strong><\/td> Hire more people<\/td> Hire fewer, better, or bring in contractors<\/td> Blend of core staff plus specialized contract talent<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Why all of a sudden, are organizations fixated on AI skills?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
This would then mean that you are dead in the water if you do not have expertise in AI?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
But what should people looking for a job do about this situation?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n