1 in 5 U.S. LinkedIn Users Rewrote Past Jobs, Adding AI Skills Years Later
Updated
Updated · CNBC · Aug 25
1 in 5 U.S. LinkedIn Users Rewrote Past Jobs, Adding AI Skills Years Later
3 articles · Updated · CNBC · Aug 25
Summary
Nearly 20% of established U.S. LinkedIn users edited titles or descriptions of jobs they had already left between 2020 and 2026, according to an NBER working paper tracking monthly profile snapshots.
AI terms drove much of the pattern after ChatGPT’s late-2022 launch, with researchers finding users adding AI skills to roles dating back to 2012 and making the median edit 4.5 years after leaving a job.
Roughly 70% of self-described AI product managers changed past roles after departure—the highest rate by role—though researchers said some edits may be legitimate profile updates rather than fabrication.
The edits also doubled shortly before users changed jobs, suggesting applicants are stuffing profiles with AI keywords to compete in a weak labor market where employers increasingly demand those skills.
Three-quarters of employers say AI skills are an advantage or requirement, while U.S. job postings with “AI” in the title have more than tripled since 2022, helping fuel what one researcher called an application “arms race.”