AI, cloud computing, security: the tech profiles most sought after by recruiters in 2026

As AI becomes a priority in companies' roadmaps, recruitment priorities are also evolving. In France, IT departments are no longer just looking to accelerate their digital projects; they first want to consolidate their existing workforce.

This is what the latest study published by Robert Half highlights, which provides a precise overview of the most sought-after skills at the beginning of 2026.

Cybersecurity, recruiters' top priority

The report shows that more than 17,500 cyberattacks were recorded in France in 2025, representing a 4% increase year-on-year, according to the statistics department of the Ministry of the Interior. Faced with this trend, cybersecurity is emerging as the most sought-after skill, with 47% of recruiters stating their intention to strengthen their teams in this area during the first half of 2026.

In large companies, one in two recruiters plans to hire a cybersecurity expert by the end of June, for targeted profiles that notably cover security operations centers, penetration testing specialists, and identity and access management experts.

Behind this dynamic lies a shift in strategic approach. Indeed, organizations no longer consider security as mere technical support, but as the foundation of any digital transformation. In other words, without a robust architecture, there can be no sustainable AI deployment or large-scale cloud migration. The cloud, a pillar of agility and AI, is second only to cybersecurity, with 44% of the most sought-after skills. DevOps and Cloud engineers, capable of orchestrating environments on AWS, Azure, or GCP, are among the most coveted profiles, according to Robert Half. For businesses, the cloud appears inseparable from AI and data projects. It enables the industrialization of deployments, the automation of CI/CD pipelines, and the absorption of the data volumes required by AI models.

This dependence explains the persistent strain on engineers capable of mastering both infrastructure, automation, and security.

A Dynamic IT Job Market

More broadly, 42% of recruiters plan to create permanent positions in the first half of 2026, while 40% intend to use project-based experts.

Furthermore, demand exceeds supply in several professions, according to the study, including cybersecurity expert, DevOps/Cloud engineer, data engineer, data scientist, IT project manager, and back-end and full-stack developer.

Faced with this shortage, companies are investing heavily in external recruitment as well as internal training, so much so that 60% of recruiters identify skills development as their main retention lever, with a particular focus on AI and cybersecurity.