Market data · as of October 26, 2026
AI skills in job postings: how common, and what they pay
About 17% of the 287,725 U.S. postings we analyzed ask for a specific AI skill. The share runs from 62% in Data & Analytics postings to 2.1% in Academic. Where they do ask, the advertised pay is usually higher, by 10% to 23% after comparing like with like.
See where AI is already changing the jobs you are looking at
We match AI exposure to the openings on our board and show it next to pay, career pivots and learning.
Every opening shows how much AI use is observed in its occupation.
Why: Because it comes from real usage data, measured for 756 occupations, not from opinion.
Career pivots show the change in pay and the AI exposure side by side.
Why: Because a move that pays more can sit in work where AI is used a lot, and you should see both before you choose.
Learning starts with the course that matches your role’s exposure and what postings ask for.
Why: Because the skills worth building depend on how much AI is already used in your work and what employers list.
The openings we see, by AI exposure
- 35% high
- 28% some
- 37% little observed
Of the 614,089 openings we could place in an occupation (64% of all openings we see). Openings we could not place are not counted.
Source: Anthropic Economic Index, March 2026.
What exposure means: the share of a job’s tasks that AI is already used for at work, measured from real usage today. It is not a forecast, and a low number means no use seen yet.
By function
“Raw” compares the median advertised pay of postings that ask for an AI skill with those that do not. “Like for like” compares within the same level and industry, which removes most of the effect of AI postings sitting at larger employers.
| Function | Ask for AI | Pay, raw | Pay, like for like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data & Analytics | 62% | — | — |
| Product | 41.1% | +17% | +12% (about $23.5k) |
| Design | 30% | — | — |
| Security | 29% | +39% | +10% (about $18.5k) |
| Marketing | 23.8% | +25% | +17% (about $23.5k) |
| Strategy | 21.1% | — | — |
| Research | 18.5% | — | — |
| Engineering | 18.5% | +37% | +18% (about $31.5k) |
| Customer Success | 17.4% | — | — |
| Human Resources | 13.7% | +35% | +20% (about $25.5k) |
| Investment | 13.3% | — | — |
| Finance | 11.4% | +46% | +17% (about $26k) |
| Sales | 11.3% | +26% | +16% (about $23k) |
| Legal | 10.9% | — | — |
| Programs | 7.7% | — | — |
| Administration | 7% | — | — |
| Operations | 5.6% | +44% | +23% (about $31.5k) |
| Executive Leadership | 4.7% | — | — |
| Fundraising & development | 3.1% | — | — |
| Clinical | 2.3% | — | — |
| Academic | 2.1% | — | — |
A dash means too few postings with pay to compare. Functions with fewer than 500 analyzed postings are left out.
By industry
Like for like here compares within the same function and level inside each industry. Industries with fewer than 300 analyzed postings are left out.
| Industry | Ask for AI | Pay, raw | Pay, like for like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technology & Software | 34.1% | +32% | +17% (about $28.5k) |
| Media & Entertainment | 23.1% | — | — |
| Financial Services & Banking | 18.2% | +26% | +4% (about $7.5k) |
| Telecommunications | 18.2% | — | — |
| Professional Services & Consulting | 17.2% | — | — |
| Pharmaceuticals & Biotech | 12% | — | — |
| Construction & Real Estate | 10.9% | — | — |
| Healthcare & Hospital Systems | 10.8% | +60% | +17% (about $26.5k) |
| Nonprofit & Social Impact | 8.1% | — | — |
| Transportation & Logistics | 8% | — | — |
| Aerospace & Defense | 7.8% | — | — |
| Energy & Utilities | 7.4% | — | — |
| Manufacturing & Industrial | 7.3% | — | — |
| Agriculture & Food Production | 6.1% | — | — |
| Education & EdTech | 5% | — | — |
| Government & Public Sector | 4.8% | — | — |
By state
The state the posting lists as its primary location. Like for like compares within the same function and level in each state. States with fewer than 300 analyzed postings are left out.
| State | Ask for AI | Pay, raw | Pay, like for like |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA | 25.8% | +39% | +27% (about $45.5k) |
| NY | 24.7% | +49% | +31% (about $44.5k) |
| WA | 24.2% | +43% | +5% (about $10k) |
| ID | 22.2% | — | — |
| MA | 18.3% | +21% | +21% (about $31.5k) |
| CO | 16.7% | — | — |
| IL | 15.5% | — | — |
| TX | 14.5% | +41% | +36% (about $53k) |
| DC | 14.5% | — | — |
| GA | 13.1% | — | — |
| VA | 12.9% | — | — |
| UT | 12.9% | — | — |
| MN | 12.5% | — | — |
| DE | 12.1% | — | — |
| NJ | 11.8% | — | — |
Show the other 32 states
| State | Ask for AI | Pay, raw | Pay, like for like |
|---|---|---|---|
| MD | 10.8% | — | — |
| NC | 10.6% | — | — |
| CT | 9.7% | — | — |
| MI | 9.2% | — | — |
| PR | 9% | — | — |
| OR | 8.6% | — | — |
| FL | 8.5% | — | — |
| PA | 8.5% | — | — |
| TN | 8.1% | — | — |
| KS | 7.6% | — | — |
| AZ | 7.4% | — | — |
| MO | 7.4% | — | — |
| IN | 7.1% | — | — |
| OH | 6.7% | — | — |
| ME | 6.5% | — | — |
| NE | 6.4% | — | — |
| OK | 5.7% | — | — |
| WI | 5.5% | — | — |
| AL | 5.5% | — | — |
| KY | 5.5% | — | — |
| NV | 5.5% | — | — |
| IA | 5.2% | — | — |
| NH | 5% | — | — |
| RI | 4.9% | — | — |
| HI | 4.5% | — | — |
| SC | 4% | — | — |
| MT | 3.9% | — | — |
| AR | 3.8% | — | — |
| LA | 3.5% | — | — |
| WV | 1.8% | — | — |
| MS | 1.7% | — | — |
| NM | 1.5% | — | — |
What counts as an AI skill
Twenty-four specific skills in three groups. A posting counts only when it names one of them, not when it mentions AI in company boilerplate.
Using AI in your work
- AI tools in daily work
- Gen-AI assistants (ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude)
- Prompt design
- AI coding assistants
- AI workflow automation
- Automation platforms (Zapier, n8n, Power Automate)
- AI-enabled analytics
- AI in business apps (Agentforce, Now Assist)
- Gen-AI content tools
Leading AI: strategy, adoption, governance
- AI strategy and use cases
- AI adoption and change management
- Responsible AI
- AI governance and risk
- AI product management
- Leading AI teams
Building AI systems
- ML frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow)
- LLM application engineering
- RAG and vector search
- Model fine-tuning
- Model training and deep learning
- MLOps
- AI evaluation and guardrails
- GPU and CUDA
- Machine learning engineering
By level
All functions together, by seniority. Like for like compares within the same function.
| Level | Ask for AI | Pay, raw | Pay, like for like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | 7.7% | +31% | +27% (about $24.5k) |
| Early career | 12.8% | +47% | +40% (about $44k) |
| Mid-level | 17% | +43% | +32% (about $43.5k) |
| Senior IC | 27.4% | +38% | +34% (about $52.5k) |
| Manager | 13% | +41% | +31% (about $45.5k) |
| Director | 16.7% | +25% | +18% (about $34.5k) |
| VP and above | 13.8% | +20% | +6% (about $14k) |
By function and level, the advertised pay premium for postings that ask for an AI skill, compared within the same industry. A dash means too few paid postings to compare.
| Function | Entry | Early career | Mid-level | Senior IC | Manager | Director | VP and above |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering | — | +37% | +21% | +13% | +14% | +17% | — |
| Operations | — | — | — | — | +27% | +15% | — |
| Sales | +26% | 0% | +17% | +14% | +30% | +10% | — |
| Finance | — | — | +21% | — | +15% | +17% | — |
| Marketing | — | — | +24% | +9% | +37% | +2% | — |
| Human Resources | — | — | +22% | +16% | — | — | — |
| Product | — | — | +5% | +13% | — | +22% | — |
| Security | — | — | +10% | +10% | — | — | — |
Published studies on seniority, with the source of each, also covered in the White Collar Employment Report.
- Lightcast. U.S. postings that list AI skills offer about 28% more pay (roughly $18,000 a year), and 51% of them are outside IT.
- Oxford Internet Institute. In a hiring experiment with about 1,700 recruiters, listing AI skills raised interview invitations by 8 to 15 percentage points and partly offset disadvantages of age and education. It measures invitations, not jobs or pay.
- NACE. 13.3% of entry-level postings now ask for AI skills, nearly three times the fall 2025 level.
- Stanford Digital Economy Lab. Employment of 22 to 25 year olds in the most AI-exposed jobs is 19% below comparable peers. Older workers show no comparable gap.
- Revelio Labs. Compared with non-adopters, firms using AI grew senior roles by 32% and junior roles by 6%.
Is it growing?
We measure this every week. A trend appears here after four weeks of data. Until then, the research above is the best evidence on direction.
How to read this
- The pay is what employers advertise, not what people were paid.
- Postings that ask for AI skills tend to be at larger employers and higher levels. The like-for-like column adjusts for level and industry, not for everything.
- A posting asking for a skill is not proof the job needs it day to day.
- It describes demand today. It does not say AI caused any layoff or hiring change.
See it for your own field
Candidates: the free Market Reality Assessment shows which AI skills your best-fit jobs ask for and a short course for each gap. Employers, colleges and workforce boards: we can show the same for your people, counts only, and build the training to close it.