The talent of AI reaches a 30%salary premium: “If you try to catch up, this will cost you even more”

Adding AI skills to work descriptions could cost employers 28% more in annual compensation, a Recent report of the Lightcast research firm found. AI -related skills may include experience with large language models (LLM), such as Chatgpt and Microsoft Copilot, as well as fast engineering, text summary and more.

An Lightcast analysis of more than 1.3 billion work publications in 2024 found roles that announced at least one AI or generative skill of AI offered $ 18,000 more in annual compensation on average than those that did not. About 51% of these IA roles were not in technology -related industries, compared to 44% in 2022.

“The AI is becoming increasingly generalized in all work descriptions we are seeing for virtually any different career area,” said Cole Napper, Vice President of Research of Lightcast, HR Brew.

The AI skills are no longer only associated with technology or IT roles, Napper said, and the roles that are seeing the greatest increase in the demand for AI skills are recruiters and human resources professionals.

Companies that do not keep up with this trend, he said, could miss talent.

“There is a divergence that is happening among employers who say: ‘We are not leaning for this space. We are really not seeing the need to do so,” said Napper. “It is better to recruit sooner rather than later, because if you try to catch up, this will cost you even more.”

It is a problem of supply and demand, Napper added. More employers demand AI skills, but the offer of employees with these skills has remained consistent, he said. He suspects that the workforce will adjust through calm and required it, but this will take time.

“There is always a lagged effect, because it takes time to build skills,” he said.

This report was Originally published by HR Brew.