Main image of article Tech Unemployment Dips to 1.7 Percent

Tech unemployment in November dipped to 1.7 percent, according to the latest CompTIA analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). That’s significantly below the national unemployment rate of 3.5 percent.

One notable thing to call out in this latest tranche of data: Of all the job postings for tech positions last month (155,621), jobs associated with A.I. comprised 12 percent (i.e., 18,000 postings). As CompTIA points out, that’s the first time A.I.-related jobs have pushed past a 10 percent threshold.

“With the gains in employer hiring intent for A.I. talent, the job posting data is finally catching up to the hype,” Tim Herbert, chief research officer for CompTIA, wrote in a statement accompanying the data. “As an enabling technology, companies hiring for AI skills inevitably need to boost adjacencies in areas such as data infrastructure, cybersecurity and business process automation.”

But what does it take to actually break into A.I.? According to O’Reilly Media’s new Generative A.I. in the Enterprise report, skills desired by companies working on generative A.I. projects include:

More another subset of A.I., such as machine learning, you may need to learn a variety of other skills, including how to design and implement machine learning models and systems. There’s a lot to learn, but the effort can pay off: new study by Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Access Partnership found that employers “are willing to pay an average of 47 percent more for IT workers with A.I. skills.”

Many companies will pay generous six-figure salaries for top A.I. talent—and maybe even more, when you consider stock options and other elements of a well-rounded compensation package. Keep that in mind when you’re plotting the next stage of your tech career.