Despite AI-related job loss fears, tech hiring holds steady – and here are the most in-demand skills

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ZDNET’s key takeaways

• Tech hiring for the subsequent quarter is regular in comparison with a 12 months in the past.
• AI could also be driving a lot of the persevering with demand for tech expertise.
• These calls for may be driving an increase in contract work.

The standard knowledge is that synthetic intelligence is gutting our workforce, each technical and non-technical. Thus far, there’s little proof that the job apocalypse is happening. If something, the need for people to build AI systems and to keep them honest is retaining hiring for each full-time tech professionals and contract employees comparatively sturdy.

Two latest surveys, from ManpowerGroup and UpWork, paint a comparatively constructive image for tech-related hiring for each jobs and gigs for the previous month and the upcoming quarter. Manpower’s Experis group says the IT hiring image slipped by a few share factors, however nothing dramatic. UpWork says it’s monitoring an increase in demand for contracted expertise in venture administration and localization, possible related to synthetic intelligence tasks. AI expertise in demand embody Python, video modifying, and graphic design.   

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Near half of tech employers globally, 48%, plan to rent this quarter (This autumn), based on a survey of 6,533 IT employers throughout 42 international locations by Experis. The US tech sector has one of many strongest hiring outlooks globally, with a majority of tech employers, 58%, planning to extend headcount throughout this quarter. Solely 11% indicated they plan to chop again.

Whereas US tech hiring cooled very barely in comparison with the identical interval final 12 months, it “stays one of many labor market’s vivid spots,” based on the survey’s authors. US tech hiring stays comparatively regular, declining solely two share factors from 60% in This autumn a 12 months in the past.

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AI work is driving the pattern — practically one in 4 employers (24%) say they’re hiring particularly to maintain tempo with digital developments similar to AI, the Experis survey reveals. “The true problem is the talents mismatch, and corporations know they should put money into the best expertise to remain aggressive,” based on a press release from Kye Mitchell, president of Experis US. 

The problem stays discovering certified expertise to fill rising know-how wants, as reported by 41% of tech and IT employers. Enhancing the candidate expertise (37%) and filling advanced roles (36%) observe shut behind.   

Notably, the examine reveals a modest uptick in deliberate hiring in IT providers, rising from 49% to 52%, with software program hiring holding regular. There possible can be a hunch in hiring inside the semiconductor sector, from 45% to 34% planning to rent. 

 Plans for elevated hiring in This autumn (in comparison with This autumn plans one 12 months in the past)

For job seekers with in-demand digital expertise, this sustained hiring momentum creates important alternatives — notably in areas like AI implementation, cloud migration, and cybersecurity, the place employers are prioritizing long-term transformation.

In terms of gig, contract, or freelance work, Upwork‘s newest hiring trends report finds companies are tapping contract expertise to offer oversight and high quality assurance as they transfer deeper into AI. UpWork experiences it drew information from the previous month, greater than 1,000,000 US job posts on Upwork’s market. The postings replicate “important demand throughout forms of work that require validation, deep context, and inventive refinement to elevate AI outputs,” the report’s authors stated.

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Of explicit notice has been the red-hot demand for venture administration expertise seen amongst small to medium-sized companies. That is “a telltale signal of organizational adaptation beneath AI pressures,” stated Nicholas Bloom, a professor at Stanford College, pointing to the necessity for a “human infrastructure” to maintain AI in line.

The contract expertise which have been in demand embody the next:

• Translation & localization +29%
• Venture administration +17% total; and +102% amongst small to medium companies
• Gross sales & advertising and marketing copywriting +12%
• High quality assurance testing +9%
• Digital advertising and marketing +9%
• Video & animation +8%  

UpWork additionally documented the highest in-demand AI-related expertise over the previous month, which embody Python, video modifying, ChatGPT, AI-generated video, and digital help. Curiously, information entry providers — lengthy regarded as a vanishing want — have seen a resurgence in demand. “This demand for foundational human expertise reveals that companies’ focus is shifting,” stated Teng Liu, economist for the Upwork Analysis Institute. 

Prime 10 Most In-Demand AI-Associated Expertise in September 2025:

1. Python
2. Video modifying
3. Graphic design
4. ChatGPT
5. AI-generated video (new)
6. Machine studying
7. Digital help (new)
8. Content material writing (new)
9. Knowledge entry (new)
10. Adobe Illustrator (new)