AI Skills Now Top Global Talent Shortage
For the first time, AI-related skills are the most in-demand globally, surpassing engineering and traditional IT, according to ManpowerGroup's 2026 Talent Shortage Survey. The report, which surveyed 39,000 employers in 41 countries, found that 72% report difficulty filling open roles. This shift highlights the rapid realignment of workforce needs driven by the adoption of artificial intelligence.
- While overall talent shortages in some regions like Singapore are at their lowest since 2021, specific AI-related skills have surged to become the most difficult to find. In Singapore, AI model and application development (26%) and AI literacy (25%) are now the top scarcity challenges, with traditional IT and data skills falling to seventh place. - The counter-drone market is projected to grow from USD 4.48 billion in 2025 to USD 14.51 billion by 2030, driven by the integration of AI for autonomous threat detection and classification. North America currently dominates the market, but the Asia-Pacific region is expected to see the fastest growth, reaching USD 3.89 billion by 2030. - In January 2026, the U.S. Department of War launched an "AI-first" acceleration strategy to achieve military dominance in AI, focusing on rapid experimentation with commercial models and removing bureaucratic barriers. This strategy prioritizes investment in AI compute infrastructure and talent acquisition to support key warfighting, intelligence, and enterprise projects. - The AUKUS Pillar II agreement is accelerating the joint development of advanced autonomous systems among Australia, the UK, and the US to address strategic competition. The collaboration focuses on areas like undersea drones, AI-enabled systems for contested environments, and quantum technologies. - Venture capital funding for robotics startups is on pace to exceed $6.1 billion in 2025, with a trend towards fewer, but larger, funding rounds for companies with clear AI integration and commercial applications. Since 2020, mega-rounds of over $100 million have accounted for approximately 60% of the capital in the robotics sector. - The global warehouse automation market is expected to reach nearly $30 billion in 2026, with around 4.7 million robots installed across more than 50,000 warehouses. The adoption of Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) is projected to grow at a CAGR of 14.9%, driven by the need for efficiency and order accuracy in the e-commerce sector. - Agentic AI, which enables systems to perceive, reason, and act autonomously, is moving beyond process automation into physical robotics. Companies like UiPath and NVIDIA are developing platforms that allow AI agents to orchestrate workflows between robots and humans for more complex, adaptive automation. - Multiple companies are targeting 2026 for the initial deployment of humanoid robots in industrial settings. Apptronik's Apollo is being prepared for manufacturing and logistics environments, while Xpeng's "Iron" is undergoing trials in factory settings for a planned mass production start.
