Employers Raise Pay for AI Skills as 72% Offer Premiums in Tight Tech Hiring
Updated
Updated · Computerworld · Oct 21
Employers Raise Pay for AI Skills as 72% Offer Premiums in Tight Tech Hiring
3 articles · Updated · Computerworld · Oct 21
Summary
72% of employers are increasing pay for relevant AI skills, and 42% pay more for AI expertise than for other technical skills, according to Robert Half’s survey of more than 2,000 managers, leaders and workers.
349,821 tech job listings in September required AI skills—up 32,327 from August—as employers filled roles more selectively and often preferred leaving positions open to making a bad hire.
272,040 new IT openings lifted active listings to 625,633, a more than three-year high, while AI literacy ranked as the top sought-after technical skill in Experis’ latest employer survey.
Tech postings are asking for deeper experience but fewer total skills: Revelio said average required skills fell to 21 from about 30 since late 2024, while required experience edged up to 4.8 years from 4.6.
AI engineer roles are among the best paid for 2027 at $154,500 to $196,750, and Gartner expects 75% of hiring processes by 2027 to test workplace AI proficiency.