The U.S. job market strengthened during the second quarter of 2026, offering a welcome reprieve after months of volatility. Still, as AI continues to reshape the workplace, the improvements are not being felt equally across the market, according to a new job report from professional services firm Toptal.

The company’s High-skilled Job Report for Q2 2026 found that demand for experienced technology and professional services personnel increased 7.1% quarter over quarter (QoQ) and 12.6% year over year (YoY), even as the market constricted for more junior workers and those whose roles are focused on routine execution. That contrast highlights a more selective labor market driven by AI adoption, with companies preferring experienced professionals who combine deep domain expertise with AI fluency and systems-level thinking.

Toptal

Employers Are Prioritizing Expertise That Delivers Results

As organizations gain experience deploying AI, their hiring priorities are evolving alongside the technology. Rather than viewing AI as a replacement for expertise, many employers increasingly see it as a tool that extends the value of experienced professionals. The result is growing demand for people who can pair technical knowledge with sound business judgment and the ability to apply AI effectively in real-world environments, per the report.

For example, with the support of AI, data scientists now spend less time building models from scratch and more time validating outputs and advising on the business decisions that follow. In marketing, professionals can use AI to generate content and insights, but must bring human judgment and creativity to brand strategy, positioning, and campaign decisions.

Nine of the 10 areas of expertise tracked in the report posted gains, including data science experts, developers, finance experts, information security specialists, management consultants, marketers, product managers, project managers, and sales professionals.

Demand for finance consultants increased 31% QoQ and 39% YoY, the largest growth of any specialization in the report. Financial activity like initial public offerings, mergers, and acquisitions surged in Q2, and that momentum increased demand for finance experts, especially those skilled in due diligence, valuation, and accounting, according to the report.

Design was the only area of expertise that posted declines in demand. One possible explanation is that design is experiencing a more fundamental transition than other areas, as traditional execution-oriented design expertise is now giving way to demand for more systems-level contributions. Employers are placing increasing emphasis on key combinations of expertise such as AI, product design, and branding, pushing design beyond visual execution into work that shapes business outcomes more directly.

Toptal

Flexibility Is Becoming a Competitive Advantage

The changing business landscape is also influencing organizations' need for fractional part-time expertise: 70% of business leaders in a recent Deloitte survey say their competitive strategy over the next three years primarily focuses on being fast and nimble. Those same leaders say that accelerating the orchestration of people and resources will be a top driver of success. The Toptal report suggests that as the broader job market recalibrates, companies will continue to supplement their core workforce with part-time experts and project-based teams to address rapidly evolving priorities.

This flexible approach allows organizations to fill specialized capability gaps and scale expertise as their needs change, without making long-term hiring commitments.

Heading into the second half of 2026, organizations are rethinking what talent looks like, and the hiring market is changing as a result. As organizations gain more experience with AI, they are deploying it to strengthen human capabilities rather than as a substitute for human experience. That shift is driving demand for professionals who can apply AI strategically while combining it with deep expertise and sound decision-making to create business value.

Methodology

The High-skilled Job Report integrates data from Lightcast, Indeed, LinkedIn, Staffing Industry Analysts, We Work Remotely, Hacker News, and Layoffs.fyi, along with proprietary insights from Toptal's global client base, to analyze global and U.S. hiring trends. To measure the strength of the technology and professional services job market, the report uses a proprietary metric called the Toptal Market Strength Score. The score draws on three inputs from data analytics firm Lightcast: the number of new job postings, median compensation, and actual hiring activity. Hiring is equally weighted against postings and compensation to correct for ghost jobs that employers advertise without real intent to hire.

This story was produced by Toptal and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.