AI Job Trends 2024: Top States, Fast-Growing Industries, and Remote Hiring Insights

Why AI Job Trends in 2024 Are Reshaping the Workforce

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are reshaping the U.S. job market, driving massive demand for AI talent across industries and states. Tech giants, agile startups, and even non-tech industries are racing to hire for in-demand AI roles like machine learning engineers, natural language processing experts, and AI analysts.

Quick Takeaways:

• +97.7%: Colorado leads AI job growth with the highest increase in postings.

• 8.6%: Remote AI jobs now make up nearly 1 in 12 AI listings.

• Top States: California, Texas, New York, and Washington dominate the AI job market in 2024.

• Fastest-Growing Industries: Tech, Financial Services, Healthcare, and Fashion lead AI hiring trends.

Aura’s workforce analytics reveal actionable insights into the 2024 AI job market, helping businesses, analysts, and investors stay ahead of emerging AI hiring trends.

At Aura, we leverage millions of workforce data points with a team of data scientists to provide deep insights into these dynamic shifts. This enables analysts, managers, and investors to make data-driven decisions that align with emerging skill development trends.

AI Job Trends 2024: Emerging Roles and U.S. Hiring Hotspots

This month, we focus on AI job trends in the United States, offering a comprehensive analysis of job postings by state, industry-specific insights, and the growth of remote AI jobs. The increasing demand and creation of new roles in the AI sector, such as computational linguists, highlight the significant growth in AI jobs. Our report uses data through June 2024 sourced with our workforce analytics platform. 

With this data, we aim to equip businesses with the operational intelligence needed to stay ahead of these critical trends and showcase how effective workforce data science can be when applied to real-world problems and as an analytic research tool.

Top States for AI Job Market Growth in 2024

The Aura platform analyzes country, state, and regional workforce data for insights and the ability to identify patterns and perform company-specific analysis. The top four states with the most artificial intelligence jobs posted are the following:

California:

• Trend: California continues to lead the nation in the highest number of AI job postings.

   AI engineers, software developers, and machine learning engineers play a crucial role in building and maintaining AI systems in the state.

• Key Areas: As one might expect, San Francisco and Los Angeles are holding their ground as key tech hubs, driving innovation and employment opportunities in AI.

New York:

• Trend: New York shows strong AI job postings, reflecting its dual role as a financial and technology center.
• Key Areas: The concentration of financial institutions and tech firms in New York City boosts demand for AI talent.

Texas:

• Trend: Texas, particularly Austin and Dallas, demonstrates significant growth in AI job postings.
• Key Areas: The state’s expanding tech ecosystem attracts AI investments and talent.

Washington:

• Trend: Seattle is a key area for AI jobs, supported by Microsoft, Amazon, a robust startup community, and a thriving tech and software sector.

• Key Areas: Proximity to top software enterprises fuels the local AI job market.

AI Job Market Trends: States Gaining and Losing Momentum

This month's AI job market exhibited notable shifts across several states, reflecting diverse trends in job demand and highlighting regions of significant job growth. Here’s an analysis of the percentage changes in AI job postings based on our latest June data:

States with Significant AI Job Growth:

Colorado (CO):

• Percentage Change: +97.70%

• Details: Colorado saw the highest growth in AI job postings, nearly doubling. This substantial increase indicates a booming tech scene and heightened demand for AI professionals in the state.

Arizona (AZ):

• Percentage Change: +84.47%

• Details: Arizona experienced a dramatic rise in AI job postings. This surge suggests growing investments in AI and a rapidly expanding tech industry.

Connecticut (CT):

• Percentage Change: +70.65%

• Details: AI job postings in Connecticut jumped. This significant increase may reflect a burgeoning tech, insurance, and biotech sector and the state’s efforts to attract AI talent.

North Carolina (NC):

• Percentage Change: +69.83%

• Details: North Carolina’s AI job postings rose, indicating robust growth. The state has become an attractive destination for tech companies and AI professionals.

Pennsylvania (PA):

• Percentage Change: +32.72%

• Details: Pennsylvania saw a considerable increase in AI job postings. This growth points to a strengthening tech ecosystem and rising demand for AI expertise.

Florida (FL):

• Percentage Change: +31.13%

• Details: AI job postings in Florida increased, showcasing the state’s expanding tech landscape, strong economy, and its perhaps its climate’s appeal to AI talent.

Illinois (IL):

• Percentage Change: +32.22%

• Details: Illinois experienced a notable rise, underscoring the state’s increasing focus on tech innovation and AI adoption.

States with Declines:

Few states showed declines in AI jobs, with moderate decreases from Texas, below. The District of Columbia and New York also experienced a slight (<1%) decline in AI jobs posted. 

 Texas (TX):

• Percentage Change: -12.90%

• Details: Texas experienced a notable decline in AI job postings. This decrease might indicate a temporary adjustment or one major employer changing its hiring strategy.

Fastest-Growing Industries Driving AI Job Trends

The Aura workforce analytics platform also allows us to examine industries in-depth, which can be incredibly useful when benchmarking organizations or looking to spot trends.

Technology:

• Overview: Pure technology roles continue to dominate AI job postings. The Computer Software, IT Services, and Internet industries have the highest absolute numbers of AI jobs and the highest growth rate.

• Key Drivers: Increased adoption of AI across various tech applications, from software development to cybersecurity.

The growing job market and salary expectations for machine learning engineers highlight the increasing demand for these professionals in various industries. The development and maintenance of machine learning systems are critical for ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness of AI applications. Machine learning techniques are vital for improving data quality and efficiency of automated systems, particularly in advanced applications like natural language processing. Natural language processing enables computers to understand and interact with human language, making it a key area of focus in AI development.

Financial Services:

• Overview: Growing use of AI for financial analysis, trading, and risk management.

• Key Drivers: The financial sector’s ongoing transformation through AI-driven automation and analytics.

Healthcare:

• Overview: Rising demand for AI in diagnostics, patient care, and medical research.

• Key Drivers: The healthcare sector is pushing AI to improve efficiency and outcomes.

Apparel and Fashion:

• Overview: Interestingly, the apparel and fashion industry ranked in the top five for new AI jobs added, signaling a strong push for innovation and requirements for upskilling in AI.

• Key Drivers: The rising need for AI talent in e-commerce, shopping, design, and custom development may fuel AI postings.

As AI technologies continue to evolve, the demand for AI-related jobs is rapidly increasing, particularly in fields such as computer science, software engineering, and data science. This surge in AI jobs reflects the growing need for professionals skilled in programming languages, data manipulation, and problem-solving. Companies seek machine learning engineers, artificial intelligence engineers, legal professionals, and administrative assistants who can leverage AI tools to enhance efficiency and productivity. The rise of generative AI tools and AI-related systems underscores the importance of lifelong learning and skills development in staying competitive in the job market.

In addition to these advancements, AI is also reshaping traditional roles by automating repetitive tasks and creating new opportunities in high-tech sectors. Job seekers with an associate degree or a bachelor's degree in relevant fields are now better positioned to meet the talent needs of potential employers.

As companies increasingly rely on AI to handle customer inquiries and data collection, the ability to write code and develop AI systems is becoming one of the most in-demand skills. This shift highlights the significant impact of AI on job displacement while also offering numerous job opportunities in emerging areas such as computer vision and human language processing.

Remote AI Jobs: Growth, Demand, and Opportunities

• Overview: Remote AI jobs are rising, reflecting a broader acceptance of flexible work models in the tech industry.

• Key Highlights: Remote AI positions comprise 8.6% of total AI job postings, indicating a steady integration of remote work practices. In comparison, Aura's separate hiring trends report found that only 5.3% of general jobs were listed as remote.

The rise of remote AI jobs is reshaping the job market, offering unique opportunities for machine learning engineers, software engineers, and other AI professionals to work from anywhere. This trend is driven by the increasing adoption of AI technologies that enable data analysis and the development of machine learning systems from remote locations. Companies are leveraging generative AI tools and AI-related software to streamline processes, making in-demand skills like programming languages and data manipulation even more critical.

The flexibility of remote work is attracting job seekers across various industries, particularly in high-tech sectors where roles such as artificial intelligence engineer and data scientist are thriving. As AI skills become more essential, the ability to work remotely is not just a perk but a significant driver of job opportunities and job growth in the evolving AI landscape.

Unlock AI Hiring Insights to Power Your Workforce Strategy

Aura’s advanced deep learning and data analytics platform delivers unparalleled AI hiring trends and market insights, enabling businesses to stay ahead in the competitive AI job market. By analyzing workforce data, you can:

• Spot emerging AI talent trends and align recruitment with growth opportunities.

• Benchmark against AI job market trends and industry standards.

• Make data-driven decisions to capitalize on AI job growth and evolving workforce shifts.

Stay ahead of the evolving AI job market and uncover the latest AI hiring trends. Request a free demo of Aura’s workforce analytics platform today and power your 2024 hiring strategy with data-driven insights.