New specialist AI roles are on the rise and workers who possess AI skills are dominating the highest-paying UK IT jobs, according to research.
New analysis by Thomson Reuters, a global content and technology company, has revealed that 97% of IT jobs in the UK that pay over £100,000 now require AI skills as a core requirement of the role.
The company analysed over 5,300 live tech jobs advertised in April 2024 and found that over 73% (593 out of 817) of the top 15% highest-paid vacancies required AI skills.
This requirement for AI skills was either explicitly included in the job title itself – for example, director of artificial intelligence and products, generative AI solutions architect and machine learning engineer – or within the role’s primary requirements.
Having AI skills also means that workers can command higher salaries. Research from Oxford University and the University of Copenhagen carried out last year found that workers with AI skills are ‘particularly valuable’ and can add an average 21% skill premium to their salary.
“Across corporates and the professions, the demand for AI talent is continuing to accelerate at a remarkable pace,” said Mary Alice Vuicic, chief people officer at Thomson Reuters.
“As well as looking at new hires, businesses also need to build trust across their teams to bring their whole organisations with them on their AI journey. This includes fostering understanding and knowledge of AI, its impact on the workplace and highlighting the benefits of AI. This will help provide a supportive and effective environment for AI learning and adoption across organisations.”
Other recent research carried by Thomson Reuters, which looked into the perceptions, usage and impact on the future of work, found that that more than half (54%) of professionals in corporations, law and accounting firms and government organisations believe generative AI should be applied to their work, while just 16% said it should not.
In the March-April 2024 edition of E+T we included an article by Baroness Stowell of Beeston, who provided insight into how AI will affect the economy and gave us her take on AI upskilling.
