Introduction
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a focal point in any discussion about technology and business in 2024. Not only are businesses accelerating the adoption of AI features in their products wherever possible and advantageous, many leaders are looking to AI to help improve the efficiency of their workforce. Naturally, this acceleration has had a huge impact on the tech job market. The AI professionals in the eye of the storm—those who are responsible for designing, developing or implementing AI solutions and systems for their company—are experiencing a different tech job market than the broader set of tech professionals.
In this chapter, we chose to dig deeper into some of the questions surrounding these exciting industry changes.
- From their place in the spotlight of the tech industry, how do AI professionals feel about their job prospects?
- Has their work-life balance been impacted this year?
- Are they using Generative AI (genAI) themselves?
- Do recruiters feel confident in what they know and how they source them?
This research has uncovered some fascinating findings. First, while AI professionals are in demand, they also experience more career optimism, a more positive sense of their own work-life balance, and more flexibility when it comes to seeking new roles. We also noticed that despite widespread media enthusiasm for AI, sentiment toward AI is shifting. In fact, our research reveals that tech professionals are cautious of the emerging technology. Additionally, we found that the recruiters and HR leaders responsible for sourcing AI professionals feel a knowledge gap, impacting their confidence in their search for the right candidates to fill roles. In this chapter we cover all this and more, seeking to drive a deeper understanding of the ever-fascinating industry of tech and tech hiring.
For survey purposes, we classify AI professionals as respondents who noted that they are responsible for designing, developing or implementing AI solutions and systems for their company. This classification constituted 23% of our overall survey base of tech professionals.
AI Tech Professionals Are the Resource Behind AI Growth; and They Know It
The growth of AI roles and the demand for filling them is felt by AI professionals. As a result, AI professionals are significantly more confident in their ability to find a favorable new role in their field this year. In fact, 58% of AI professionals are confident that this is the case, compared to only 36% of other tech professionals that feel the same. We also asked our respondents if they anticipated changing employers in the next year. A significant portion of AI professionals said they do, at 73%, surpassing the 65% of general tech professionals who said the same. It is likely that the increase in demand for filling AI roles has led many AI professionals to consider this year as great timing to make a positive shift in their career.
AI professionals are also more likely to be interested in working in Big Tech. When compared to the broader pool of tech professionals, 18% of whom said they wanted to work at a Big Tech company, a significantly larger 29% of AI professionals prefer Big Tech. This is possibly due to an interest in being part of higher-budget, higher profile AI projects or because they feel more confident in their hireability in general.
AI professionals are feeling mixed about the value of their AI work. When asked if they feel that the AI projects they are working on are strategically valuable to their company, just over half feel they are and one-third indicated AI-related projects are primarily used to show stakeholders the company is doing something with AI.
Which one of the following statements reflects how you feel about the majority of the AI-related projects you have been tasked with supporting?
AI professionals who anticipate changing employers in the next year:
AI professionals who are confident in their ability to find a favorable new role in their field this year:
AI Tech Professionals Experience a Better Work-Life Balance
Overall, AI professionals are more optimistic about the future of the industry and their career than the more general pool of tech professionals we surveyed. More AI professionals report that they experienced a better work-life balance than they did last year, at 41%, compared to 26% of tech professionals in general. However, despite a more positive sense of work-life balance, their experience of burnout is similar to all tech professionals, with 33% of AI professionals reporting burnout and 31% of tech professionals in general noting the same.
Thinking about your work-life balance now, would you say your work-life balance is better, the same, or worse than it was last year?
Tech Professionals in General Are Split About Using GenAI for Their Work
Overall, tech professionals are hesitant about the adoption of AI tools into their workflow. Just over a third of tech professionals say that they never use genAI tools, a slightly larger portion than the 30% who use it at least once a week. This avoidance appears to be mostly voluntary, as only 8% of tech professionals don’t use genAI tools because their company has restrictions on using generative AI for work-related tasks. This hesitation is consistent with other reports we have been seeing; in their AI sentiment survey, the company ReTool found that 51% of tech professionals consider AI to be overrated.
Younger tech professionals are more likely to have adopted AI into their workflow, as almost half of respondents who identified themselves as over 55 report never using genAI. The age group most likely to use genAI at least once a week is the 18-34 group, at 38%.
However, some tech professionals who do use genAI tools are seeing impacts to their work, and even more believe it will impact their work in the next year. Forty percent believe that AI will significantly impact their work in the next year, while only 8% predict it will have no impact.
Tech professionals who use genAI at least once a week:
How often, if ever, do you use generative AI for work-related tasks?
AI Tech Professionals Are More Likely to Have Adopted AI Tools Into Their Workflow
Of the one-quarter of tech professionals in our survey who are responsible for developing or implementing AI solutions or systems, just over half feel the projects they work on are strategically valuable to their company. Additionally, one-third indicated that the AI-related projects they work with are primarily used to show stakeholders the company is doing something with AI. Naturally, the AI professionals who feel that the projects they work on are strategically valuable are also more likely to be satisfied with their current role.
Unsurprisingly, AI professionals have developed a closer working relationship with AI and related tools. Nearly half, or 49%, of AI professionals use AI tools at least once a week. This is double that of other tech professionals, of whom only 25% use AI tools once a week.
Of the AI professionals who use genAI in their everyday work, 36% say that these tools make a significant impact on their work. An even larger 50% believe that there will be a significant impact to the future of their work.
How often, if ever, do you use generative AI for work-related tasks?
What impact is generative AI having on your work as a tech professional?
HR Professionals Face Some Challenges in Hiring AI Professionals
Like AI professionals, HR professionals are optimistic about the growth of the AI job market. Forty-six percent are actively recruiting for these roles right now, and 82% anticipate demand for AI professionals to increase in the next 6 months.
This growth will not come without challenges, however. HR professionals are less confident in this space than they are in the wider tech talent market and face an uncomfortable knowledge gap when it comes to recruiting AI professionals. While 84% of HR professionals consider themselves “extremely” or “very” knowledgeable when recruiting tech professionals, only 73% feel the same level of knowledge when it comes to AI professionals.
of HR professionals anticipate demand for AI professionals to increase in the next 6 months.
Other challenges HR professionals face include:
- Shortage of Skilled Professionals
- Difficulty in Assessing Technical Skills
- High Salary Expectations
- Rapid Technological Changes
- Competitive Hiring Environment
Current talent is a great resource for accelerating a company’s AI adoption and growth, and HR professionals are aware of this. We noted that small to medium-sized companies (with 250-3,499 employees) are more likely to currently offer AI/ML upskilling and training when compared to larger companies (with 3,500+ employees). However, respondents from most of these larger companies say they have plans to offer AI training and upskilling programs in the future.
There are many reasons for this training gap between smaller and larger companies, but the competitive nature of AI hiring is likely a major factor. Not only do tech professionals tend to prefer companies with more prominent reputations, a factor that is often correlated with bigger companies, larger organizations are also more likely to have the room in their hiring budget for these expensive and in-demand AI professionals. Naturally, this leads smaller organizations to turn to training and upskilling programs to activate their existing workforce, while also gaining the value of a strong recruiting tactic. If your smaller organization is looking for a way to accelerate AI growth and adoption, investing in AI training and upskilling programs could be a strong play — both for enhancing your current workforce and attracting AI professionals looking for growth.
The Bottom Line
AI professionals are in high demand and experiencing a positive job market: AI professionals are more confident in finding new jobs and report better work-life balance compared to other tech professionals. They are also more likely to change jobs in the next year, possibly due to higher confidence and job opportunities. Lastly, AI tech professionals are significantly more interested in working at a Big Tech company than the broader group of tech professionals.
AI professionals are positive about AI adoption: Unsurprisingly, AI professionals are more likely to use and see the impact of generative AI than other tech professionals. While many believe their projects in AI are strategically valuable, a still significant portion suspect that they are primarily for public relations.
HR professionals report strong demand for AI professionals, but feel less equipped to recruit them: Their main barrier is in a knowledge gap. Other barriers include shortage of AI professionals, difficulty in assessing skills, salary expectations, rapid technological change, and competition.