3 Key Lessons about the AI Tech Talent Market

Artificial intelligence (AI), as a technology category, has been experiencing a boom for well over a year and there’s no end in sight. Many people reflexively think of AI as a shift that will result in fewer jobs for humans but the opposite is true. In 2020, the World Economic Forum predicted that AI would displace 85 million jobs over the following five years, but create 97 million new jobs.

That means there’s a lot of hiring to do in the AI realm. As more companies adopt AI tools behind the scenes, as well as integrate the emerging tech into their products and services, HR teams face steep challenges in finding, attracting, and engaging with AI talent. Similarly, a growing talent pool of AI professionals is gaining power, in large part due to the high demand for their special skill sets.

Our recent Tech Sentiment Report: Tech and HR Professionals Weigh In on AI and the AI Hiring Market pulls back the curtain on what AI and HR professionals are experiencing in the field. In this article, we’ll explore some of the early findings and share advice for HR professionals who are facing new and continued hiring challenges amid the rise of AI.

AI Professionals are highly mobile and confident

When hiring AI professionals, it’s important to understand what makes them different from other tech talent. While high proportions of people in all sorts of jobs say they are considering a job change, our survey revealed that almost three-quarters (73%) of AI professionals actually expect to change employers in the next year. And, on top of that, more than half (58%) said they are confident in their ability to find a favorable new role in their field this year.

High talent mobility and high levels of confidence could increase hiring challenges for HR professionals targeting AI roles. Most likely, this means the talent acquisition process needs to be faster, smoother, and more satisfying to attract and engage AI talent.

Action items for talent acquisition teams:

• Personalize the candidate experience. Proactively search for people who fit your candidate profiles and invite them to apply for relevant roles. Or, even better, encourage job seekers to attend informational virtual events to build a pipeline of quality candidates.

• Engage job seekers early and often. Make use of tools like Dice Instant Messaging to connect directly with job seekers who might be a good fit for your open roles.

• Streamline interviews and make offers quickly. We all know someone who has spent 16 hours over 12 weeks interviewing with 20 company employees, yet still hasn’t received an offer. AI professionals are poised to move quickly for the right opportunity, so the faster you can evaluate each candidate, the better your chances will be of landing top talent.

AI Professionals have better work-life balance but same risk for burnout

According to our research, work-life balance has improved for AI professionals — and they report a better work-life balance than other tech professionals in general (41% vs 26%). On the surface, this is great news, but it doesn’t mean AI professionals are immune to stress or overwhelm. In fact, we found that their experience with burnout is roughly the same as the rest of the tech talent population we surveyed. A third (33%) of AI professionals reported experiencing burnout, while 31% of tech professionals in general said the same.

This suggests that AI professionals may have high expectations about work-life balance, while also prioritizing employers that openly acknowledge and proactively work to reduce the risk of burnout. And employers should want that, too, since burnout has repeatedly been linked with lower employee well-being, productivity loss, and inhibited innovation. Communicating the way your work culture and company policies address these issues should be a key component of your recruitment marketing efforts, from job postings, career hubs, social media content, and virtual events.

Action items for talent acquisition teams:

• Demonstrate how your company prevents burnout. Throughout recruiting process, talk candidly with job seekers about what teams do to prevent burnout

• Highlight policies that support work/life balance (e.g. PTO, flexible schedules, flexible work locations, etc) as well as wellness and mental health supports (e.g. EAP, benefits coverage, reimbursement programs).

Competition for top AI talent will challenge HR teams to get creative

Skills shortages and steep competition for top talent have already put pressure on HR teams to devise new strategies for finding and attracting quality candidates. With the rise in demand for talented AI professionals, HR teams could feel even more heat in the coming months. According to our survey, 82% of HR professionals anticipate the demand for AI professionals to increase in the next six months.

In part, this is due to the unique skills that high-performing AI professionals bring to the table. This includes technical skills like machine learning, natural language processing, and data science, as well as soft skills like problem-solving and creativity. While many HR teams still report challenges with assessing candidate skill levels, the search for this unique skill set will only enhance the potential for difficulty.

All of this means talent acquisition teams need to update their playbooks for sourcing and attracting hard-to-find talent, while working to nurture talent pipelines to help fill future openings. Anyone with experience in this area knows it’s a long game, but there is no better time to start than right now.

Action items for talent acquisition teams:

• Leverage proven diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) strategies to cast a wider net and engage with talent that other employers may overlook, such as niche professional associations and nonprofits that work to support underrepresented groups. Leaning into DEIB hiring not only helps solve short-term candidate engagement challenges but can lead to long-term positive benefits for AI teams, as diverse perspectives are often linked with innovation, collaboration, and even higher revenue.

• Consider offering additional referral bonuses for AI positions, to encourage current employees to tap their personal networks for potential candidates.

• Work with tech managers to create strategies for developing talent internally, through on-the-job experience, formal training, and secondary education.

Navigating the AI Hiring Landscape with Strategic Innovation

As the demand for AI professionals continues to surge, HR teams face a new era of recruitment challenges. The mobility and confidence of AI talent, coupled with the critical need for work-life balance, require talent acquisition strategies that are both swift and thoughtful.

To stay competitive in the short-term talent market, HR professionals must personalize the candidate experience, streamline the hiring process, and emphasize company culture and policies that prioritize employee well-being. Additionally, creative approaches like leveraging DEIB strategies and nurturing internal talent pipelines will be essential. Engaging with and acquiring top AI talent is not just a short-term need but a long-term strategic priority for companies looking to stay competitive in the evolving tech landscape.

By adapting to these evolving demands, HR teams can effectively attract and retain top AI talent, ensuring their organizations remain at the forefront of technological innovation.