ACM CareerNews for Tuesday, May 19, 2026
ACM CareerNews is intended as an objective career news digest for busy IT professionals. Views expressed are not necessarily those of ACM. To send comments, please write to [email protected]
Volume 22, Issue 10, May 19, 2026
Cyber Pros With Advanced AI Skills Remain in Demand
Dice Insights, May 12
Ever since artificial intelligence entered the mainstream, experts have debated whether these technologies and virtual chatbots would replace skilled IT and cybersecurity workers or augment their tasks through added layers of automation. The results so far appear mixed. AI has displaced some entry-level cybersecurity work. At the same time, organizations implementing AI are in great need of skilled security employees who understand these platforms, can secure the technologies, and understand the risks associated with chatbots. All of these changes are affecting how organizations recruit and hire cybersecurity talent, the skill sets that pros need to compete in the marketplace, and what it takes to secure networks, infrastructure, and data from cybercriminals and attacks.
A newly released survey offers additional details about the effects AI is having on cybersecurity careers and skill development. The study, based on responses from 2,750 IT and cybersecurity decision-makers across 32 countries, found that 60 percent of respondents identified finding candidates with cybersecurity AI experience as a growing recruitment challenge. Additionally, forty-nine percent of respondents believe they may need to create new AI-driven roles. And fifty-seven percent expect to require reskilling or upskilling of existing staff to work with AI tools. These numbers show the challenges cybersecurity faces as organizations look to increase AI deployments and the effect that has on talent recruitment and hiring.
Click Here to View Full Article
Jobs Lost to AI Could Reappear Elsewhere and Solidify AI-Focused Roles
Computerworld, May 13
There are conflicting signals about whether AI is creating or destroying jobs, though many companies have blamed the technology for recent job cuts. Analysts and industry experts say the reality is more nuanced. Jobs being lost now to AI will likely reappear elsewhere, especially for those with hands-on AI experience. In other words, while AI may be reshaping the labor market, it is not eliminating the need for talent. Though hiring for entry-level jobs is under pressure as AI absorbs more routine work, that does not eliminate opportunity.
While reductions in IT headcount are real, the savings from cutting those jobs will reappear elsewhere in hiring for other roles or tasks. For example, although Claude Code might help IT leaders reduce the number of developers they have on hand, one faulty software rollout could lead to new hiring to fill gaps. Maybe organizations will need to hire more quality testers in another group. Maybe organizations will need to hire more people to train people on how to use these tools. The big picture is that jobs might simply transform, as AI rollouts continue.
Click Here to View Full Article
Tech Job Postings Hit 3-Year High
CIO Dive, May 8
New job postings for technology occupations, including tech support, cybersecurity engineers, and software developers, hit a three-year high in April. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, more than 271,483 new job postings and more than 575,000 total active job postings were available. Tech occupation employment rose by 260,000, driving the unemployment rate among technology professionals down from 3.9% in March to 3.5% in April. The U.S. unemployment rate remained steady at 4.3%.
The federal jobs report provides a positive outlook on the tech hiring landscape, even as a new batch of companies announced layoffs in the name of AI. For example, San Francisco-based Cloudflare said it is reducing its workforce by more than 1,100 employees globally as it shifts to an AI-first operating model. The company said its AI use increased by more than 600% in the last three months as employees in finance, human resources, engineering, and other business functions run thousands of AI agent sessions daily. Technology companies, including Amazon and Meta, have also undergone rounds of layoffs in part due to a broader AI push.
Click Here to View Full Article
The Rules of Hiring Are Changing
BuiltIn.com, May 13
There is no longer a singular pathway to employment as employers place greater emphasis on demonstrated skills and expand the types of credentials and experiences they accept as proof of job readiness. As technology, including AI, reshapes expectations for what workers know and can do, employers are thinking more expansively about how they assess job readiness and looking for proof of workforce-aligned skills, whether acquired through a traditional credentials, short-term certificates or in the workplace. The result is a reshaped talent landscape in 2026.
For decades, employers have relied on degrees to indicate the career potential of a candidate, leaving talented individuals for whom traditional credentials have not been accessible or practical on the sidelines. As employers work to broaden their talent pools and close skills gaps, 46 percent now say they plan to increase their focus on skills-based hiring in the next year, putting more emphasis on what a candidate can do rather than where or how those skills were acquired. Critically, the majority are also embracing alternative learning pathways as legitimate signals of capability. 86 percent of employers view non-degree certificates as a credible way to demonstrate skills, including industry certifications that validate specific competencies such as cloud computing, and short-term credentials that prepare learners for roles where a full degree is not necessary.
Click Here to View Full Article
AI Is Changing How People Look for Jobs, Forcing Recruiters to Keep Up
HR Brew, April 2
AI is having a significant impact on how recruiters and hiring managers use search engine optimization (SEO) to find and attract the best candidates. SEO continues to play an important role, dictating how organizations format their career sites, job postings, and recruitment marketing materials so they surface in search engine results. But as AI tools reshape how people search for information on the internet, SEO strategy is being upended. The new way to find information is via AI overviews, or by using AI chatbots.
AI is already affecting job searches. Approximately one in ten U.S. workers say they have used AI tools to research potential employers. Recruitment experts expect that percentage to grow over time. In five years, candidates may be starting and stopping their search with AI. Recruiters should assume candidates are starting their search, they are identifying companies to work for, they are researching key decision-makers, and they are making job decisions, all without leaving an LLM. For employers that do not tailor their recruitment strategies for AI search tools, experts warned that recruitment costs could increase, as their job postings get ignored or competitors become more frequently recommended by these LLMs.
Click Here to View Full Article
AI Is Wiping Out Entry-Level Jobs: Here is How to Surf the Wave
KelloggInsight, May 12
Many young IT workers grew up believing that developing key skills such as coding and data analysis would get them a foot in the door at a prestigious high-tech company. However, now many of those assumptions appear to be wrong. In fact, according to some thought leaders, AI could wipe out roughly 50 percent of all entry-level white-collar jobs within five years.
For first-time job seekers willing to adapt their approach and embrace a new career trajectory, success remains within reach. There are several job search strategies that could pay off big. For example, focus on companies that are going heavy on hiring new college graduates. When applying to these companies, be sure to show how you are AI-native and ready to take on the complexities of AI. Some companies have signaled significant expansion of internships, new graduate, and entry-level programs.
Click Here to View Full Article
How to Build an AI-Friendly Resume for IT Jobs in 2026 That Actually Gets Interviews
Spiceworks, March 24
To make a resume truly stand out, the key is to know how AI resume screener tools work, and what grabs the attention of both the initial AI scan and the subsequent human screener. While basic keyword searches are a major part of AI-enabled recruiting, there is much more to a successful IT job search strategy. Still important are factors such s relevant experience, prior success, communication skills, and relationship building. All candidates should highlight these points in such a way that resume-sifting AI tools and the human recruiting team can find them easily.
IT job seekers should understand that it is no longer enough simply to stuff a resume with keywords. This was never an effective strategy. It is more important to apply for roles that genuinely align with your experience and skills. Meanwhile, companies are summarizing candidate information with AI resume screeners, using AI to assist recruiters in preparing for interviews, and to verify the accuracy of candidate-provided information. This last point is especially important. While candidates may be tempted to optimize their resumes with AI, proceed with caution. Ensure your information is accurate, since AI is increasingly being leveraged to verify qualifications.
Click Here to View Full Article
How to Future-Proof Your Career in the Age of AI
Noema Magazine, April 9
Due to the emergence of AI, virtually all tasks involving routine computer work seem destined for automation. Companies are aggressively capturing the institutional knowledge and digital practices of their employees, distilling decades of experience into digital models that are much more cost-effective. Generative artificial intelligence has reached a threshold where the cost of content generation is plunging toward zero, and that has important consequences for how IT workers should think about future-proofing their careers.
There is no doubt that large language models (LLMs) are automating many job functions, especially in white-collar professional fields. But this will shift, not displace, human utility in the workplace. For those working in fields subject to such automation, it will require a great refactoring of skillsets. What will emerge as the most valuable skills are modes of communication and understanding that are best performed orally and socially, such as empathy, negotiation, persuasion, and trust-building.
Click Here to View Full Article
The Return of Soft Skills in the Age of Generative AI and Agentic Software Development
Blog@CACM, May 5
For decades, software engineering has been associated primarily with technical mastery, including algorithms, programming languages, and system architectures. Yet, successful software development depends as much on human social, cognitive, and organizational skills and abilities as on technical skills. The era of generative AI and agentic software development heralds the renewed centrality of soft skills in software engineering, albeit in forms adapted to collaboration with both humans and intelligent tools.
More than 20 years ago, discussions about software engineering education and professional development highlighted the importance of soft skills. Researchers and practitioners noted that many software project failures were not due to inadequate technical knowledge, but rather to communication breakdowns, poor coordination, unclear requirements, and ineffective teamwork. These insights led to increased attention to skills such as communication, collaboration, reflection, and project management within software engineering curricula and professional practice. Today, GenAI and agentic coding are once again reshaping the nature of software development. Tools that generate code, suggest architectures, or assist with debugging are rapidly becoming integrated into everyday workflows. In particular, the emergence of agentic coding environments, in which developers interact with AI agents capable of performing multi-step tasks, introduces a new layer of abstraction in the development process.
Click Here to View Full Article
The Outlook for Computer Science Education
Communications of the ACM, April 9
In response to the AI boom, universities are rethinking CS education programs, offering new options to broaden appeal, embracing AI, and collaborating with peers and industry to equip students with skills required by changing market demand. The statistics, however, are stark, with many showing rapidly declining CS enrollment at the undergraduate level, as well as rising levels of unemployment for recent CS graduates.
Universities are embracing AI, giving thought to their programs, providing students with in-demand skills, and exploring new research avenues. Some are grateful for a drop in enrollment and a return to manageable class sizes, others are seeing dips and rises. Like many industries, tech goes through cycles, and student interest tends to follow. The main concern is that prospective students see news stories about layoffs and AI coming for their jobs and get discouraged from applying despite having a strong interest in computer science. The big picture view is that software engineering is much more than coding. Coding is an important foundational skill, but computer science is so much more: it is creative, it is problem-solving, it is determining needs and then designing software and systems to address those needs.
Click Here to View Full Article
Copyright 2026, ACM, Inc.