Companies in America are rushing to hire people with artificial intelligence (AI) skills, but entry level job seekers have fewer openings than expected.
Around 71% of AI related job postings across 500 companies are for senior roles, such as data analysts and machine learning engineers, research from the AI-Driven Enterprise (AIDE) Institute found.
In contrast, only 13% openings are for junior roles, while 16% fall in the middle level category. The findings are based on an analysis of 161,645 job listings.
This gap shows that large companies are competing heavily for a small group of highly skilled professionals by offering attractive packages to secure them. However, this leaves fewer opportunities for newcomers who are trying to break into the industry.
Paul Cheek, CEO of AIDE Institute, states, “The anxiety has been about AI replacing humans. What the data actually shows is a narrowing, a labour market where the AI opportunity is real, but reserved largely for those already at the top. The classic on-ramp into a high-growth field is narrow.”
The data is based on job listings seen on LinkedIn at a specific point in time. It shows “hiring intent, not filled positions.” A job post only shows what a company is looking for and the type of talent it is willing to pay in the open market. This is why the focus on senior level roles is important.
These numbers are not from a simple survey. They are part of a bigger system called the AIDE Index, which studies how companies in the S&P 500 are using AI. The research also looks at other areas such as “leadership AI literacy and advocacy, corporate strategy, partnerships, patents, and deployed AI across all four pillars.”
Of the 161,645 total jobs, around 8140 were related to AI roles. The study compared job levels only using posts that clearly showed whether the role was junior, mid level or senior.
As per the latest research from the New York Fed, the unemployment rate for recent college graduates was 5.6% in March. This is higher than the overall unemployment rate, which stood at 4.2% during the same period..