NextChapter

Job families where entry-level jobs want AI skills

Product leads: 31% of its entry-level openings ask for AI skills, against 7% across all job families.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

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Key facts

  • #1 Product, Job family: 31%
  • #2 Data & Analytics, Job family: 22%
  • #3 Security, Job family: 16%
  • 18 job families ranked across all job families
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 7% across all job families.

  1. 1Product Job family31%
  2. 2Data & Analytics Job family22%
  3. 3Security Job family16%
  4. 4Design Job family11%
  5. 5Strategy Job family11%
  6. 6Customer Success Job family9%
  7. 7Engineering Job family8%
  8. 8Marketing Job family7%
  9. 9Investment Job family6%
  10. 10Human Resources Job family6%

What stands out

  • The lead is wide: Product (31%) is well clear of Human Resources at #10 (6%).
  • Strategy reaches #5 on a sample of 216 entry-level openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
  • Engineering is the largest market in the top ten, with 26,816 entry-level openings behind its figure.
  • Job families with fewer than 200 entry-level openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.

Why this ranking matters

What it shows

Entry-level roles used to ask for little technical background. When they ask for AI skills, the starting line has moved. This list shows where that has happened most.

How to use it

If you are applying for first roles, learn the tools named in the postings you want and show a small project that uses them.

The top 25

  1. 1

    Product Job family

    31%

    Entry-level AI openings
    163
    Entry-level openings
    531
    Median posted pay
    $200k

    Based on 531 openings.

    Product jobs and employers

  2. 2

    Data & Analytics Job family

    22%

    Entry-level AI openings
    1,211
    Entry-level openings
    5,596
    Median posted pay
    $185k

    Based on 5,596 openings.

    Data & Analytics jobs and employers

  3. 3

    Security Job family

    16%

    Entry-level AI openings
    212
    Entry-level openings
    1,318
    Median posted pay
    $184k

    Based on 1,318 openings.

    Security jobs and employers

  4. 4

    Design Job family

    11%

    Entry-level AI openings
    160
    Entry-level openings
    1,486
    Median posted pay
    $171k

    Based on 1,486 openings.

    Design jobs and employers

  5. 5

    Strategy Job family

    11%

    Entry-level AI openings
    23
    Entry-level openings
    216
    Median posted pay
    $175k

    Based on 216 openings.

    Strategy jobs and employers

  6. 6

    Customer Success Job family

    9%

    Entry-level AI openings
    143
    Entry-level openings
    1,626
    Median posted pay
    $123k

    Based on 1,626 openings.

    Customer Success jobs and employers

  7. 7

    Engineering Job family

    8%

    Entry-level AI openings
    2,102
    Entry-level openings
    26,816
    Median posted pay
    $168k

    Based on 26,816 openings.

    Engineering jobs and employers

  8. 8

    Marketing Job family

    7%

    Entry-level AI openings
    233
    Entry-level openings
    3,364
    Median posted pay
    $154k

    Based on 3,364 openings.

    Marketing jobs and employers

  9. 9

    Investment Job family

    6%

    Entry-level AI openings
    75
    Entry-level openings
    1,233
    Median posted pay
    $155k

    Based on 1,233 openings.

    Investment jobs and employers

  10. 10

    Human Resources Job family

    6%

    Entry-level AI openings
    305
    Entry-level openings
    5,354
    Median posted pay
    $125k

    Based on 5,354 openings.

    Human Resources jobs and employers

  11. 11

    Sales Job family

    5%

    Entry-level AI openings
    722
    Entry-level openings
    15,665
    Median posted pay
    $131k

    Based on 15,665 openings.

    Sales jobs and employers

  12. 12

    Research Job family

    4%

    Entry-level AI openings
    63
    Entry-level openings
    1,481
    Median posted pay
    $140k

    Based on 1,481 openings.

    Research jobs and employers

  13. 13

    Administration Job family

    4%

    Entry-level AI openings
    193
    Entry-level openings
    4,976
    Median posted pay
    $85k

    Based on 4,976 openings.

    Administration jobs and employers

  14. 14

    Finance Job family

    3%

    Entry-level AI openings
    258
    Entry-level openings
    9,217
    Median posted pay
    $125k

    Based on 9,217 openings.

    Finance jobs and employers

  15. 15

    Legal Job family

    3%

    Entry-level AI openings
    96
    Entry-level openings
    3,801
    Median posted pay
    $142k

    Based on 3,801 openings.

    Legal jobs and employers

  16. 16

    Operations Job family

    2%

    Entry-level AI openings
    244
    Entry-level openings
    9,820
    Median posted pay
    $130k

    Based on 9,820 openings.

    Operations jobs and employers

  17. 17

    Programs Job family

    2%

    Entry-level AI openings
    36
    Entry-level openings
    1,957
    Median posted pay
    $130k

    Based on 1,957 openings.

    Programs jobs and employers

  18. 18

    Clinical Job family

    2%

    Entry-level AI openings
    18
    Entry-level openings
    1,179
    Median posted pay
    $157k

    Based on 1,179 openings.

    Clinical jobs and employers

Full ranking

All 18 job families that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankJob familyScoreSample
1Product Job family31%531
2Data & Analytics Job family22%5,596
3Security Job family16%1,318
4Design Job family11%1,486
5Strategy Job family11%216
6Customer Success Job family9%1,626
7Engineering Job family8%26,816
8Marketing Job family7%3,364
9Investment Job family6%1,233
10Human Resources Job family6%5,354
11Sales Job family5%15,665
12Research Job family4%1,481
13Administration Job family4%4,976
14Finance Job family3%9,217
15Legal Job family3%3,801
16Operations Job family2%9,820
17Programs Job family2%1,957
18Clinical Job family2%1,179

How this ranking works

A job family's score is the share of its entry-level and early-career roles whose posting names at least one AI skill or tool.

The job family is the one assigned from the posting title and text. Only job families with at least 200 entry-level openings are ranked, and only roles verified on the employer's own career site in the last week are counted.

Sample bar: job families with fewer than 200 openings are not ranked.

Sources: NextChapter job data: open professional roles on employer career sites, verified in the last week. Data as of November 2026.

Our job data covers professional roles on the career sites of employers we track, so figures describe that market, not every job. Spot an error? Tell us.

Questions

Which job family ranks first: job families where entry-level jobs want ai skills?
Product leads: 31% of its entry-level openings ask for AI skills, against 7% across all job families.
How many job families are ranked?
18 job families have at least 200 entry-level openings, so the list has 18 entries.
How is the ranking calculated?
A job family's score is the share of its entry-level and early-career roles whose posting names at least one AI skill or tool. The job family is the one assigned from the posting title and text. Only job families with at least 200 entry-level openings are ranked, and only roles verified on the employer's own career site in the last week are counted.
How often is it updated?
Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.

More rankings

Cite this ranking

NextChapter, “Job families where entry-level jobs want AI skills,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/functions-where-entry-level-jobs-want-ai

Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/functions-where-entry-level-jobs-want-ai">Job families where entry-level jobs want AI skills (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>

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