February 17, 2026
A roadmap to today’s digital jobs landscape—labor market trends, credentials, employer insights, and regional examples to expand equitable, skills-based pathways into digital jobs.
Digital technologies are reshaping work across all sectors of the economy, creating new opportunities—often in roles that don’t require a bachelor’s degree—but also confusion about which skills and credentials truly matter.
This Jobs for the Future research resource explores digital jobs within complex and evolving labor market ecosystems where verification and assessment of people’s skills plays a critical role in determining whether workers are able to find jobs that lead to economic advancement and employers are able to hire the talent they need to succeed. The research that underlies the findings shared here helps advance JFF’s efforts to expand access to IT careers, build robust pathways to digital jobs, clarify which skills and credentials matter, and support employers that are deepening their commitments to skills-based talent management practices.
Based on a JFF analysis of the national IT labor market and insights gleaned from in-depth looks at the regional IT labor markets in Boston, Dallas–Fort Worth, Miami, and Worcester, Massachusetts, this report discusses IT employment trends—including the way demand for digital skills is expanding into hybrid business-IT roles in health care, public administration, manufacturing, and other sectors.
Short-Term Credential Landscape
It also features a guide to the vast short‑term IT credential marketplace (which has more than 50,000 options) and offers practical insights on the signals employers look for to determine whether a worker is truly ready for a particular role—applied experience, communication skills, and a small number of recognized certifications (including those offered by CompTIA, Microsoft, and Cisco).
This report also includes vignettes featuring fictional personas of learners and workers to illustrate pathways young IT professionals could follow in the real world. And it culminates in a look at regional strategies and recommendations that can be applied to local contexts, aligning system‑level strategies with on‑ramps that lead to IT jobs offering opportunities for economic advancement.
Our research included a landscape scan of the credential marketplace, analysis of Lightcast job postings (2014 to 2024 trends; March 2024 to February 2025 postings) and interviews with eight IT hiring managers conducted in March 2025. We used the credential scan to create the fictional personas. For a detailed look at our research, see the Methodology section.
Based on our years of experience supporting efforts to prepare workers and learners for IT jobs and expand on-ramps to IT careers, as well as analysis of recent labor market data, JFF has developed the following definition of digital jobs:
Digital jobs are roles in which people who have IT expertise provide services to individuals and organizations to help them build, maintain, or upgrade computer systems, networks, or software, with an emphasis on cloud computing, big data, and cybersecurity.
Ensure that digital jobs and careers in IT are accessible to everyone, regardless of background.
Establish data-driven training models that are built with input from employer partners, align with the needs of local businesses and regional economies, and include robust wraparound services to ensure that participants have the supports they need to manage personal responsibilities and concerns so they can focus on training and prepare for careers offering opportunities for economic advancement.
Identify the nondegree training and education programs that prepare workers to secure quality digital jobs and promote transparency by building awareness throughout the ecosystem of the in-demand skills and credentials that lead to employment and opportunities for economic advancement.
Expand employers’ willingness to embrace skills-first hiring and talent management policies and practices, offer digital skills training that includes work-based learning opportunities, and support the advancement of incumbent workers in digital roles.
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