Can AI Help You Beat the Odds and Change Your Destiny? High-paying AI jobs are booming, yet the associated dividends cannot be shared equally.

While young workers struggle in the overall job market, they have demonstrated extremely strong competitiveness in some AI positions.

LinkedIn released a research report that analyzes the 12 fastest-growing AI positions based on platform data, covering dimensions such as gender, educational background and age.

This study defines AI positions as roles involving AI engineering and technical construction.

Kory Kantenga, Head of Americas Economics at LinkedIn, said: There is a widespread perception in the current labor market that Generation Z has great difficulty finding jobs.

However, this conclusion is supported by data.

According to statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for young workers aged 22 to 27 is 7.2%, that for fresh graduates of the same age group is 5.7%, while the overall unemployment rate across the United States is 4.1%.

But a key finding of LinkedIn's report is that young workers are reaping huge benefits in the AI job market.

Kantenga said bluntly: "It is really surprising to see them seize the AI labor market so strongly."

Data shows that Gen Z employees account for more than two-thirds of new hires in two high-demand positions: Deployment Engineer (with a median annual salary of $199,000) and AI Engineer (with a median annual salary of $166,000).

Millennials account for 60% of new hires for AI lead positions, which have a median annual salary as high as $236,000.

LinkedIn data shows that the number of AI job postings is soaring: although the company has not disclosed specific figures, the number of AI job postings on the platform increased by 14% between 2023 and 2024, and surged by 156% between 2024 and 2025.

Kantenga said that some young employees are "seizing the opportunity" to get high salaries and "step into leadership positions". He encouraged fresh graduates to "seize these opportunities" while "leaving a buffer space for possible future changes".

AI positions have strong salary competitiveness

According to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the median annual income of workers aged 25 to 34 in the second quarter of 2026 was $60,320, and that of workers aged 35 to 44 was $74,672.

The salary gap for AI positions is even wider. LinkedIn's analysis of job posting salaries shows that the median annual salary for typical AI positions is $177,000, more than twice that of non-AI positions ($80,000).

Kantenga pointed out: "At present, the AI field has attracted a large amount of capital investment. In order to compete for talents, companies have to significantly raise salary levels."

He also mentioned that another major reason for the high salary of AI positions is the high threshold for academic qualifications.

91% of practitioners in AI positions hold a bachelor's degree or above, and senior positions have higher educational requirements. Nearly half of the new hires for AI lead positions have postgraduate degrees, and 20% have doctorate degrees.

Kantenga predicted that the AI job market will push up the salary level of highly educated professionals with AI-related degrees.

But this may also exacerbate pay inequality.

Workers without relevant degrees or higher education backgrounds will be excluded from high-paying AI careers, which will widen the income gap instead.

Women do not benefit from the dividends of the AI industry

Kantenga pointed out that women gain far less dividends from the growth of AI employment than men.

LinkedIn data shows that women accounted for only 26% of new hires in AI positions in 2025, while the proportion of women in non-AI positions is as high as 50%.

Among the highest-paying AI positions, women account for 20% of hires for AI supervisor positions, 26% for AI director positions, and only 18% for technical personnel positions (MOTS).

The only position where women and men have equal hiring rates is data annotator, which is also the lowest-paying AI career with a median annual salary of only $51,000.

A February 2025 study by leadership consulting firm Russell Reynolds shows that women account for only 10% of CEOs and top technical positions in AI companies.

Kantenga concluded: At every level of AI companies, women are less represented.

How to enter the AI industry

For students and young job seekers who want to enter the industry, Kantenga's top suggestion is to pursue a computer science degree.

Although computer science graduates have faced challenges in the job market in the past two years, he still believes that this is the stepping stone to enter the AI field.

The latest data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York shows that as of 2024, the unemployment rate of fresh computer science graduates has risen to 7%, which is higher than the overall unemployment rate of fresh graduates.

However, according to a report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the starting salary for the class of 2026 majoring in computer science is expected to reach $81,535, the highest among all majors.

In addition to academic qualifications, Kantenga emphasized that it is also necessary to ensure that you have work experience related to data.

These AI positions require you to truly understand how to prepare and use data efficiently.

If you have limited work experience, Kantenga suggests that you can participate in more AI side projects to enrich your portfolio and show the direction you are truly passionate about.

However, he also pointed out that not all young employees have a positive attitude towards AI.

Many people are still anxious about how AI will affect their career prospects, and some admit that they are not interested in AI work.

"Some young people are very positive and regard AI as a rare career opportunity; but others are worried: will AI replace my job?"

This article is translated by Leikeji from CNBC make it

Original link: Millennials and Gen Z are landing fast-growing high-paying AI jobs according to LinkedIn study

This article is from "Leikeji", released with authorization from 36Kr.