AI jobs statistics 2026

How many jobs is AI replacing?

More every year. US employers cited AI for {{ch\_ytd}} announced job cuts this year through {{ch\_through}}, {{ch\_share}} of all {{ch\_total}} cuts and the top reason they gave (Challenger, Gray & Christmas).

US job cuts put down to AI, by month (job cuts)

1Aug 2026

3,462

2Jul 2026

10,970

3Jun 2026

14,029

4May 2026

38,579

5Apr 2026

21,490

6Mar 2026

15,341

7Feb 2026

4,680

8Jan 2026

7,624

Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Job Cut Announcement Report · announced cuts where the employer cited AI

These are the cuts employers announced and put down to AI themselves. Some cut jobs to pay for AI rather than replace people with it, so the count is a signal, not a census. Challenger's report for {{ch\_month}} came out on {{ch\_released}}, and this page updates with each new one.

How many job postings mention AI?

Far more than before. {{in\_us}} of US job postings mentioned AI on {{in\_date}}, up from {{in\_us\_ago}} a year earlier and {{in\_start}} at the start of the year (Indeed Hiring Lab).

US job postings that mention AI, month by month (%)

1Aug 2026

6.7%

2Jul 2026

6.3%

3Jun 2026

6.0%

4May 2026

5.8%

5Apr 2026

5.5%

6Mar 2026

5.4%

7Feb 2026

5.0%

8Jan 2026

4.8%

9Dec 2025

4.4%

10Nov 2025

4.3%

11Oct 2025

4.1%

12Sep 2025

3.7%

Indeed Hiring Lab, AI Tracker · 7-day average at each month's end

That's {{in\_record\_note}}, and {{in\_x\_chatgpt}} the {{in\_chatgpt}} when ChatGPT launched in November 2022. Indeed counts postings that mention terms like "machine learning", "artificial intelligence" and "generative AI", {{in\_rows}} daily readings across {{in\_countries}} countries since {{in\_first}}.

Which countries have the most AI jobs?

{{in\_top\_name}}, by far. {{in\_top}} of job postings there mention AI, up from {{in\_top\_ago}} a year earlier (Indeed Hiring Lab).

Job postings that mention AI, by country (%)

1Canada

18.2%

2Ireland

14.9%

3United Kingdom

9.7%

4Australia

7.3%

5United States

6.7%

6Germany

5.6%

7Italy

5.0%

8France

4.0%

9Netherlands

3.6%

Indeed Hiring Lab, AI Tracker · August 31, 2026

The share rose in every one of these countries in the past year.

How much more do AI skills pay?

A lot more. Workers with AI skills earn a 62% wage premium on average, up from 57% a year earlier (PwC).

PwC studied more than 1 billion job ads in 27 countries and territories. If you freelance, my free freelance rate calculator works out what to charge.

Is AI creating jobs?

Yes, in AI itself and in software. Jobs that need AI skills, like prompt engineering or machine learning, grew 69%, against 9% for all jobs (PwC).

Software is the clearest case. US job postings for software developers rose almost 15% since Claude Code launched in February 2025, while all job postings fell 7% (Indeed Hiring Lab).

They're still about 27.5% below their pre-pandemic level, though. And 71% of the rise was for senior roles, with 37% for jobs with AI in the title.

Which jobs does AI affect most?

Young workers in AI-exposed jobs first. Employment among software developers aged 22 to 25 has fallen nearly 20% since 2024, even as older developers' headcount grows (Stanford HAI).

Entry-level jobs are changing, not just shrinking. The US entry-level roles most exposed to AI are seven times more likely to ask for senior skills like judgment and leadership, and they grew 35% since 2019, while other entry-level roles shrank 10% (PwC).

AI is spreading well beyond tech, too. The number of US occupations with AI in their job titles more than tripled since 2022, and in five of the six countries Indeed studied, AI titles are now more common outside tech than in it, from sales and HR to legal and teaching (Indeed Hiring Lab).

How many people want AI jobs?

Many more than before. Searches for AI jobs on Indeed grew 11 times since ChatGPT launched, while job searches overall are about where they were in late 2022 (Indeed Hiring Lab).

They're still small: AI jobs made up less than 1% of all searches in early 2026.

How to use these numbers

Before you plan your next job or hire:

• Learn the AI tools of your own field: AI skills pay a 62% premium
• Show what you've done with AI, not just that you've used it
• Build judgment and leadership early: AI-exposed entry-level jobs ask for them
• Look beyond tech: AI titles now show up in sales, HR, legal and teaching
• Check the job cut and job posting numbers each month: they move fast

Then pick one AI skill your next job asks for, and practice it this week.

Key takeaways

Here's what the AI jobs statistics say:

• Demand keeps growing – 6.7% of US job postings mention AI, up from 3.4% a year ago.
• Some jobs go – US employers cited AI for 116,175 job cuts this year, the top reason.
• AI skills pay – a 62% wage premium on average.
• New jobs grow fastest – jobs that need AI skills grew 69%, against 9% for all jobs.
• Young workers feel it first – employment of software developers aged 22 to 25 fell nearly 20% since 2024.

For more, see my AI statistics and freelance statistics, and find work with my free remote job finder.