AI Skills Surpass Engineering as Top Global Talent Shortage
Event summary
- 72% of employers globally report difficulty filling roles, down slightly from 74% in 2025.
- AI Model & Application Development (20%) and AI Literacy (19%) are now the hardest skills to find.
- Engineering (19%), Sales & Marketing (18%), and Manufacturing & Production (17%) follow in demand.
- Germany (83%), France (74%), and the U.K. (73%) face the most severe talent shortages.
- 91% of employers are deploying strategies like upskilling (27%), schedule flexibility (20%), and location flexibility (18%).
The big picture
ManpowerGroup's 2026 Talent Shortage Survey highlights a historic shift in global hiring challenges, with AI skills now topping the list of hard-to-find capabilities. This reflects broader industry trends where companies are increasingly prioritizing AI literacy and upskilling to stay competitive in a talent-scarce world. The survey underscores the need for organizations to balance technological advancements with the enduring value of human skills, particularly in high-demand sectors like IT, healthcare, and manufacturing.
What we're watching
- AI Talent Realignment
- How the rapid shift toward AI-driven capabilities will reshape strategic talent investment.
- Geographic Disparities
- Whether regional talent scarcity will force companies to adopt more localized hiring strategies.
- Human Skills Value
- The pace at which core human skills like communication and adaptability will remain critical amid AI adoption.