AI Hiring Rebounds Amid Pay Gains and Burnout

Companies that expanded IT and technology teams during the COVID-19 pandemic later increased layoffs to make room for AI projects. Dice’s Tech Sentiment Report found that since 2021, pay rose about 46% in roles most affected by AI, compared with 25% in roles least affected. The gap has widened since 2024 as job postings recover. In Globalization Partners’ 2026 report, 84% of executives said they struggled to find skilled talent in their country, and 64% said they were unprepared for ongoing change.

LinkedIn found that AI-related job postings in 2026 were double the 2023 level. Postings listed average pay of about $177,000 for AI roles and $80,000 for non-AI roles. A Robert Half survey found that 72% of employers were increasing compensation budgets to attract and retain talent. Some 65% of technology leaders had offered salaries above their original ranges; 87% of those leaders cited the need to secure candidates with specialized skills. Meanwhile, 92% of technology leaders planned to pay more for employees with the AI skills their jobs require, and 42% of business leaders overall said they would pay more for AI experience than for general technical skills.

Pay disclosure is also increasing. Some 96% of companies already disclose compensation information or plan to do so soon, while 67% of employers in a Robert Half survey said they disclose salary information beyond legal requirements. Listing pay in job postings can help employers find suitable candidates, streamline salary negotiations, and shorten hiring time, the report said.

Dice found that the share of workers using AI daily grew fourfold over the past year as burnout doubled. The share optimistic about the technology industry’s long-term outlook fell from 80% to 60%. About 74% of employees said they planned to leave their jobs within the next year, and 55% were actively job hunting; 41% believed they could find a better job. Nearly half of employed technology workers reported burnout, and about 25% said theirs was severe. Technology and AI specialists made up the largest share of respondents reporting burnout. Globalization Partners estimated that declining engagement and employee burnout cost the world $10 trillion in 2025.

Dice warned that increasing work speed without safeguards could benefit some people while creating anxiety for others. Fewer than half of employers had formal policies to manage workplace AI use or set rules for it. The report said companies should be transparent about AI use, just as they are about pay.

LinkedIn’s additional research found that women accounted for 26% of US AI job hires in 2025, compared with 50% of hires in non-AI roles. Women held 13% of AI executive positions at AI companies. Some 91% of AI workers had at least a bachelor’s degree; the share was 95% among executives and directors. The report noted that opportunities may be more limited for women without formal higher education and urged technology and IT leaders to avoid repeating hiring practices that previously produced a lack of diversity.

In a Pew Research Center survey, 33% of women and 27% of men viewed AI’s effect on them over the next 20 years negatively. For AI’s effect on society, the figures were 43% of women and 36% of men; 11% of women and 22% of men expected a positive effect on society. Some 68% of women and 58% of men said AI was advancing too quickly. The report raised the possibility that women’s more cautious approach to AI tools could affect the gender gap across AI jobs.

Companies that expanded IT and technology teams during the COVID-19 pandemic later increased layoffs to make room for AI projects. Dice’s Tech Sentiment Report found that since 2021, pay rose about 46% in roles most affected by AI, compared with 25% in roles least affected. The gap has widened since 2024 as job postings recover. In Globalization Partners’ 2026 report, 84% of executives said they struggled to find skilled talent in their country, and 64% said they were unprepared for ongoing change.

LinkedIn found that AI-related job postings in 2026 were double the 2023 level. Postings listed average pay of about $177,000 for AI roles and $80,000 for non-AI roles. A Robert Half survey found that 72% of employers were increasing compensation budgets to attract and retain talent. Some 65% of technology leaders had offered salaries above their original ranges; 87% of those leaders cited the need to secure candidates with specialized skills. Meanwhile, 92% of technology leaders planned to pay more for employees with the AI skills their jobs require, and 42% of business leaders overall said they would pay more for AI experience than for general technical skills.

Pay disclosure is also increasing. Some 96% of companies already disclose compensation information or plan to do so soon, while 67% of employers in a Robert Half survey said they disclose salary information beyond legal requirements. Listing pay in job postings can help employers find suitable candidates, streamline salary negotiations, and shorten hiring time, the report said.

Dice found that the share of workers using AI daily grew fourfold over the past year as burnout doubled. The share optimistic about the technology industry’s long-term outlook fell from 80% to 60%. About 74% of employees said they planned to leave their jobs within the next year, and 55% were actively job hunting; 41% believed they could find a better job. Nearly half of employed technology workers reported burnout, and about 25% said theirs was severe. Technology and AI specialists made up the largest share of respondents reporting burnout. Globalization Partners estimated that declining engagement and employee burnout cost the world $10 trillion in 2025.

Dice warned that increasing work speed without safeguards could benefit some people while creating anxiety for others. Fewer than half of employers had formal policies to manage workplace AI use or set rules for it. The report said companies should be transparent about AI use, just as they are about pay.

LinkedIn’s additional research found that women accounted for 26% of US AI job hires in 2025, compared with 50% of hires in non-AI roles. Women held 13% of AI executive positions at AI companies. Some 91% of AI workers had at least a bachelor’s degree; the share was 95% among executives and directors. The report noted that opportunities may be more limited for women without formal higher education and urged technology and IT leaders to avoid repeating hiring practices that previously produced a lack of diversity.

In a Pew Research Center survey, 33% of women and 27% of men viewed AI’s effect on them over the next 20 years negatively. For AI’s effect on society, the figures were 43% of women and 36% of men; 11% of women and 22% of men expected a positive effect on society. Some 68% of women and 58% of men said AI was advancing too quickly. The report raised the possibility that women’s more cautious approach to AI tools could affect the gender gap across AI jobs.