Demand for AI skills has doubled over the last year
Explore data on how many job postings require skills in artificial intelligence, plus the top AI skills, occupations, and industries according to employers.
By: Rebecca Munday, Edited by: Joey Morris
Last updated: August 26, 2025
Key takeaways
- Job postings requiring AI skills have steadily increased every month in 2025.
- Employers require AI skills in three times more job postings than they did two years ago.
- According to job posting data, AI, AI agents, ChatGPT, prompt engineering, and large language modeling are the top five AI skills.
In just two years, artificial intelligence (AI) has evolved from a niche skillset to an expected qualification for job applicants. Knowledge of prompting, AI‑assisted analysis, and workflow automation is no longer reserved for only highly technical professions and is increasingly becoming a baseline requirement for more roles.
According to job posting data from Lightcast, more than 120,000 job postings required skills in artificial intelligence within the last 30 days alone, a more than 100% increase from the same time last year. Workers are noticing this trend as well. A recent edX survey found that 54% of workers believe AI-related skills are very or extremely important for remaining competitive in their careers.
Learn more about the fastest-growing AI-related skills, occupations, and industries below.
Source: Lightcast Job Postings Dashboard, retrieved Aug. 8, 2025
Jobs requiring skills in AI are on the rise
Skills in artificial intelligence are appearing in more job descriptions than ever. According to July 2025 data from Lightcast, job postings requiring AI skills jumped 73% from 2023 to 2024 and surged another 109% from 2024 to 2025. The number of job postings that require AI skills jumped 13% from June to July 2025 alone.
This rapid rise reflects how quickly AI has become embedded in the workplace. A recent McKinsey study found that 78% of organizations use AI in at least one business function, up from just 50% in 2022, making these skills essential for staying competitive.
Top AI skills
Which AI skills are most popular in the job market right now? Lightcast's job-posting data highlights the 10 most in-demand AI skills, ranked by how often employers list them in job postings. The list spans broad capabilities like general artificial intelligence expertise and proficiency, to more specialized technical skills, such as large language modeling and computer vision.
Though jobs requiring AI as a specific skill have doubled since last year, AI is not the skill that has seen the most growth as a requirement in job postings. The top three skills by year-over-year growth are AI agents, ChatGPT, and prompt engineering.
If you know you need to upskill in AI to stay competitive, but you don't know where to start, consider starting with one of these skills.
| Skill | Monthly Job Postings | Change from Last Year |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial intelligence | 120,682 | 104% |
| Machine learning | 63,909 | 30% |
| Deep learning | 8,132 | 6% |
| Large language modeling | 7,563 | 98% |
| AI translation | 7,138 | N/A |
| Computer vision | 4,733 | 25% |
| Prompt engineering | 3,778 | 227% |
| ChatGPT | 3,401 | 260% |
| Machine learning algorithms | 3,307 | -5% |
| AI agents | 3,028 | 899% |
Source: Lightcast Job Postings Dashboard, retrieved Aug. 8, 2025
Note: "Monthly job postings" reflects the total number of postings in the most recent 30-day period. "Change from last year" represents the percentage difference compared to the same 30-day period one year earlier.
Top AI occupations
AI skills are not limited to traditional tech roles — demand is rising across leadership, research, marketing, and even science-focused jobs.
Data from Lightcast shows that software developers, quality assurance analysts, and testers saw the most overall job postings requiring skills in AI over the past 30 days, followed by marketing managers.
Four of the top 10 occupations requiring AI expertise are primarily non-technical roles: marketing managers, market research analysts or specialists, sales managers, and chemists. They also experienced some of the most significant increases compared to the same time last year.
| Occupation | Monthly Job Postings | Change from Last Year |
|---|---|---|
| Software developers and software quality assurance analysts and testers | 20,242 | 92% |
| Marketing managers | 11,570 | 142% |
| Computer occupations, all other | 9,580 | 90% |
| Computer and information systems managers | 6,884 | 137% |
| Computer and information research scientists | 5,687 | 61% |
| Management analysts | 3,001 | 67% |
| Market research analysts and marketing specialists | 2,712 | 85% |
| Sales managers | 2,501 | 149% |
| Computer systems analysts | 2,362 | 145% |
| Chemists | 2,144 | 4,276% |
Source: Lightcast Job Postings Dashboard, retrieved Aug. 8, 2025
Note: "Monthly job postings" reflects the total number of postings in the most recent 30-day period. "Change from last year" represents the percentage difference compared to the same 30-day period one year earlier.
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I'm looking forward to pursuing my dream of being a computer programmer. I've been accepted to the MIT class of 2017, an accomplishment that would not have occurred without edX and online learning."
— Mike Chen | Computer programmer | Schenzen, China | BerkeleyX CS188.1X Artificial Intelligence
Top AI industries
AI skills are becoming more desirable in non-technical roles, as well as in non-technical industries. Per Lightcast data, over 25,000 job postings that required AI in July 2025 were in professional, scientific, and technical services. They include:
- Law
- Computer science
- Architecture and engineering
- Accounting and finance
Roles in data processing and storage that require applicants to have AI skills increased by 525% between 2024 and 2025, the highest increase since this time last year.
The administrative and support services industry is also increasingly seeking candidates with AI skills, likely due to the increase in AI agents, which screen customers first to identify problems, answer quick questions, and match customers with the correct departments.
The industry that saw the smallest increase in job postings seeking applicants with AI skills was education services. Concerns about AI use in education may help explain this more modest increase in postings seeking applicants with backgrounds in AI.
| Industry | Monthly Job Postings | Change from Last Year |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 25,186 | 67% |
| Administrative and support services | 10,641 | 235% |
| Computing infrastructure providers, data processing, web hosting, and related services | 8,290 | 525% |
| Computer and electronic product manufacturing | 5,462 | 35% |
| Publishing industries | 5,233 | 69% |
| Credit intermediation and related activities | 4,687 | 44% |
| Educational services | 3,992 | 25% |
| Sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument, book, and miscellaneous retailers | 3,311 | 95% |
| Web search portals, libraries, archives, and other information services | 3,054 | 70% |
| Insurance carriers and related activities | 3,049 | 79% |
Source: Lightcast Job Postings Dashboard, retrieved Aug. 8, 2025
Note: "Monthly job postings" reflects the total number of postings in the most recent 30-day period. "Change from last year" represents the percentage difference compared to the same 30-day period one year earlier.
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Methodology
Job posting data was collected from the Lightcast Job Postings Dashboard on Aug. 7 and 8, 2025. Lightcast defines job postings as unique listings from employers seeking to hire; duplicate postings for the same job and company are removed. It's important to note that job postings differ from job openings, which are based on government data and reflect employee separations rather than hiring intent. "Monthly job postings" data related to top AI skills, top occupations, and top industries reflects job postings from the most recent 30-day period. "Change from last year" represents the percentage difference compared to the same 30-day period one year earlier.