Mar 11, 2025 23:00:00

36% of IT job postings are AI-related, with a further 25% seeking AI skills

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), a US economic newspaper, reports that by 2025, about a quarter of tech-related job openings will require AI skills, and companies in all industries are increasingly placing emphasis on AI capabilities when hiring engineers.

How the AI Talent Race Is Reshaping the Tech Job Market - WSJ

https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/how-the-ai-talent-race-is-reshaping-the-tech-job-market-93df0615

According to the WSJ, the information sector has the highest proportion of IT jobs posted in January 2025, at 36% related to AI. Overall, about 25% of tech-related job openings in the U.S. are calling for AI skills, with financial and professional services companies, banks and consulting firms alike looking for engineers who can build and use AI algorithms and models.

Anil K. Gupta, a professor at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business, points out that the emergence of OpenAI's ChatGPT at the end of 2022 marked a turning point in the AI job market. Although AI-related jobs existed before that, the emergence of ChatGPT has made the possibility of integrating AI into products and business flows widely recognized, and it can be said that AI has spread throughout the industry.

Demand for AI talent is on the rise across a range of industries. For example, a major retailer is looking for a data science director who can use predictive algorithms to improve store layouts. A utility company is looking for an analyst who can use machine learning to assess wildfire risk, and a pharmaceutical company is seeking an AI programmer in

computational chemistry. Even in industries with a relatively small proportion of tech talent, the trend toward AI in IT jobs is growing. In the healthcare industry, the proportion of new AI-related technical jobs in January 2025 is expected to be about double what it was a few years ago.

According to data from the University of Maryland, AI-related job postings increased 68% from the fourth quarter of 2022 after the launch of ChatGPT to the end of 2024, while overall tech job postings decreased 2%. As of January 2025, AI-related jobs accounted for 1.3% of all job postings and tech jobs accounted for 5.4% of all job postings.

Thomas Vick, regional senior director at recruitment firm Robert Half, said companies are primarily looking for 'talent with the experience and knowledge to integrate AI into existing jobs,' rather than creating entirely new AI-centric roles. For example, cybersecurity engineers are looking for someone who can use AI to assess potential threats more accurately and efficiently.

Andy Challenger, senior vice president at outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, points out that while engineers without AI skills also thrive in the labor market, AI skills tend to bring higher salaries and job security. 'We're seeing very few cutting-edge AI skills coming into our programs, so companies are trying to hang on to them,' Challenger said.