You really, really want to work with AI and you’re willing to move anywhere in the country that offers lots of opportunities to do so—where should you go?
According to analyst firm CompTIA’s latest analysis of job-posting data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and Lightcast, the answer to that question is simple: Northern California. Some 13 percent of tech job postings in the San Jose area are dedicated AI roles; six percent of the job postings in San Francisco are likewise AI-related.
That shouldn’t come as a shocker, of course: Northern California and Silicon Valley are home to some of the world’s largest tech companies, such as Google and Apple, that are collectively investing billions of dollars in advancing artificial intelligence. It stands to reason that these companies (along with a host of well-monetized startups) are anxious to hire top specialists in everything from model training to prompt engineering.
Other major tech hubs are also hiring for AI, including New York (8 percent of roles), Seattle (7 percent), and Washington DC (5 percent). Like Silicon Valley, these metro areas host enormous tech companies and aggressive startups with plenty of money to spend on AI talent.
Beyond AI, tech employment is having a moment: The tech unemployment rate tumbled from 3.4 percent to 2.5 percent in September, the biggest such dip in four years, according to CompTIA. “It was never really a question of if, but when employers were going to resume hiring,” Tim Herbert, chief research officer for the analyst firm, wrote in a statement accompanying the data. “A broad mix of companies viewed recent economic developments as the greenlight to move forward in addressing their tech talent needs.”
CompTIA noted strong hiring in a number of industries and prominent companies, including automotive (General Motors, Ford), financial services (JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo), healthcare (Cardinal Health, CVS Health, Humana, Intermountain Health), hospitality (Marriott International), and technology (Apple, Google, Meta, Oracle, TEKsystems). Keep in mind that many of these giants are looking for AI experts; if you have the skills, there are likely opportunities for you here.
