Industries asking for AI skills most
Key facts
- #1 Technology & Software, Industry: 29%
- #2 Media & Entertainment, Industry: 18%
- #3 Financial Services & Banking, Industry: 13%
- 16 industries ranked across all industries
- Data as of November 2026
For comparison: 13% across all industries.
- 1Technology & Software Industry29%
- 2Media & Entertainment Industry18%
- 3Financial Services & Banking Industry13%
- 4Agriculture & Food Production Industry10%
- 5Professional Services & Consulting Industry9%
- 6Pharmaceuticals & Biotech Industry9%
- 7Construction & Real Estate Industry8%
- 8Healthcare & Hospital Systems Industry7%
- 9Retail & E-commerce Industry6%
- 10Aerospace & Defense Industry6%
What stands out
- The lead is wide: Technology & Software (29%) is well clear of Aerospace & Defense at #10 (6%).
- Agriculture & Food Production reaches #4 on a sample of 2,173 all openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
- Technology & Software is the largest market in the top ten, with 74,197 all openings behind its figure.
- Industries with fewer than 1,000 all openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.
Why this ranking matters
What it shows
AI skills have moved from a specialist requirement to a line in many postings, but unevenly. The share of openings that ask for them shows which kinds of work have changed most.
How to use it
Compare your own job family with the top of the list. A gap is a reason to add one AI skill to your résumé before you apply, not a reason to change careers.
The top 25
- 1
Technology & Software Industry
29%
- AI-skill openings
- 21,344
- All openings
- 74,197
- Median posted pay
- $185k
Based on 74,197 openings.
- 2
Media & Entertainment Industry
18%
- AI-skill openings
- 1,291
- All openings
- 7,109
- Median posted pay
- $138k
Based on 7,109 openings.
- 3
Financial Services & Banking Industry
13%
- AI-skill openings
- 4,282
- All openings
- 32,324
- Median posted pay
- $157k
Based on 32,324 openings.
- 4
Agriculture & Food Production Industry
10%
- AI-skill openings
- 215
- All openings
- 2,173
- Median posted pay
- $119k
Based on 2,173 openings.
- 5
Professional Services & Consulting Industry
9%
- AI-skill openings
- 1,783
- All openings
- 18,811
- Median posted pay
- $135k
Based on 18,811 openings.
Professional Services & Consulting jobs, employers and outlook
- 6
Pharmaceuticals & Biotech Industry
9%
- AI-skill openings
- 1,208
- All openings
- 13,681
- Median posted pay
- $183k
Based on 13,681 openings.
- 7
Construction & Real Estate Industry
8%
- AI-skill openings
- 366
- All openings
- 4,721
- Median posted pay
- $115k
Based on 4,721 openings.
- 8
Healthcare & Hospital Systems Industry
7%
- AI-skill openings
- 2,351
- All openings
- 31,523
- Median posted pay
- $140k
Based on 31,523 openings.
- 9
Retail & E-commerce Industry
6%
- AI-skill openings
- 1,343
- All openings
- 21,108
- Median posted pay
- $128k
Based on 21,108 openings.
- 10
Aerospace & Defense Industry
6%
- AI-skill openings
- 1,263
- All openings
- 19,939
- Median posted pay
- $148k
Based on 19,939 openings.
- 11
Transportation & Logistics Industry
6%
- AI-skill openings
- 343
- All openings
- 6,228
- Median posted pay
- $118k
Based on 6,228 openings.
- 12
Nonprofit & Social Impact Industry
5%
- AI-skill openings
- 391
- All openings
- 7,171
- Median posted pay
- $113k
Based on 7,171 openings.
- 13
Energy & Utilities Industry
5%
- AI-skill openings
- 523
- All openings
- 9,827
- Median posted pay
- $140k
Based on 9,827 openings.
- 14
Manufacturing & Industrial Industry
5%
- AI-skill openings
- 1,984
- All openings
- 42,377
- Median posted pay
- $130k
Based on 42,377 openings.
- 15
Education & EdTech Industry
4%
- AI-skill openings
- 525
- All openings
- 14,629
- Median posted pay
- $98k
Based on 14,629 openings.
- 16
Government & Public Sector Industry
3%
- AI-skill openings
- 337
- All openings
- 9,902
- Median posted pay
- $113k
Based on 9,902 openings.
Full ranking
All 16 industries that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
| Rank | Industry | Score | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology & Software Industry | 29% | 74,197 |
| 2 | Media & Entertainment Industry | 18% | 7,109 |
| 3 | Financial Services & Banking Industry | 13% | 32,324 |
| 4 | Agriculture & Food Production Industry | 10% | 2,173 |
| 5 | Professional Services & Consulting Industry | 9% | 18,811 |
| 6 | Pharmaceuticals & Biotech Industry | 9% | 13,681 |
| 7 | Construction & Real Estate Industry | 8% | 4,721 |
| 8 | Healthcare & Hospital Systems Industry | 7% | 31,523 |
| 9 | Retail & E-commerce Industry | 6% | 21,108 |
| 10 | Aerospace & Defense Industry | 6% | 19,939 |
| 11 | Transportation & Logistics Industry | 6% | 6,228 |
| 12 | Nonprofit & Social Impact Industry | 5% | 7,171 |
| 13 | Energy & Utilities Industry | 5% | 9,827 |
| 14 | Manufacturing & Industrial Industry | 5% | 42,377 |
| 15 | Education & EdTech Industry | 4% | 14,629 |
| 16 | Government & Public Sector Industry | 3% | 9,902 |
How this ranking works
A industry's score is the share of its open professional roles whose posting names at least one AI skill or tool.
The industry is the one our crawler assigns to the employer. Only industries with at least 1,000 all openings are ranked, and only roles verified on the employer's own career site in the last week are counted.
Sample bar: industries with fewer than 1,000 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 industry ranks first: industries asking for ai skills most?
- Technology & Software leads: 29% of its professional openings ask for AI skills, against 13% across all industries.
- How many industries are ranked?
- 16 industries have at least 1,000 all openings, so the list has 16 entries.
- How is the ranking calculated?
- A industry's score is the share of its open professional roles whose posting names at least one AI skill or tool. The industry is the one our crawler assigns to the employer. Only industries with at least 1,000 all 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, “Industries asking for AI skills most,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/industries-asking-for-ai-skills-most
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/industries-asking-for-ai-skills-most">Industries asking for AI skills most (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.
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