Headlines From 2nd Quarter 2026 IT Skills And Certifications Research
Foote Partners, Tuesday, April 28th, 2026
This news release is a summary extract of content from the 2nd Quarter 2026 editions of Foote Partners' IT Skills Demand and Pay Trends Report and IT Skills and Certification Pay Volatility Index, two market intelligence trend reports updated every 3 months from data contributed by HR departments at 5,112 U.S. and Canadian employers. They contain IT jobs, skills, and certifications data trends published in the firm's IT Skills and Certifications Pay Index and deep-dive benchmark analysis from Foote Partners' research group.
Q1 2026 saw a sharp surge in cash pay premiums for 663 IT certifications-the strongest quarterly jump in ten years. Meanwhile the average market value for 746 noncertified IT skills in Q1 did just the opposite, posting its fourth consecutive quarterly decline and biggest quarterly loss since 2002.
Still, 134 noncertified IT skills are earning workers median bonuses equivalent to between 15% and 24% of base pay on average, and 44 IT certifications are averaging a much lower 10% to 15% cash bonuses
Is pay volatility a factor? It's been spiking. Findings from our IT Skills and Certifications Pay Volatility Index show 417(of 1,409, or about 30%) skills and certifications changed market value in 1Q 2026, the highest pay volatility since later in 2024.
AI has shifted from experimental to operational, our AI cash pay premiums coverage has ballooned to 136 certified and noncertified AI related skills from 57 two years ago. Twenty-six AI related certifications are significantly outperforming their 110 noncertified AI skill counterparts: pay premiums have risen nearly 4% in the past year compared to a 4% decline for noncertified AI skills. But noncertified AI skills still earn dramatically higher bonuses than AI certifications-averaging the equivalent of 14% of base salary compared to 8.5% for AI certifications.