Nearly a year since ChatGPT was unveiled, enthusiasm around generative AI has barely waned—especially in the job market.
Indeed searches for generative AI jobs have increased by nearly 40,00% in the past year, while generative AI job openings have increased by 3,06% in the same period.
Although AI job postings on ZipRecruiter are down from their 2022 highs, the number of existing AI jobs on the platform is still "significantly greater" than pre-pandemic levels, said Julia Pollak, ZipRecruiter chief economist.
The hottest AI job in the market right now is not engineering, but data scientist.
Over the past six months, data scientist has become the most-posted AI job on Indeed and the second-most-posted job on ZipRecruiter.
AI Data ScientistDemand growth
While data scientists have been working with AI for years, demand for these professionals has increased dramatically in recent months as more companies launch AI-related products to increase productivity or improve customer experience, said Trey Causey, head of responsible AI at Indeed.
He addedData scientists play a key role in achieving this business goal by collecting, analyzing and interpreting large amounts of data for new AI models to help companies make informed business decisions..
According to ZipRecruiter and Indeed,The hiring landscape for AI-focused data scientists has expanded beyond the technology sector, including financial services, aerospace, media and other industries, all of which are expanding their recruiting budgets to hire these professionals or create new positions for them.
Pollak explains: “In 2021 and 2022, many of the job postings for AI data scientist positions were initially for temporary contracts or freelance roles as companies were still testing the waters and deciding whether they could monetize the technology.Now, enough time has passed that companies can see the benefits of AI and are making long-term investments and building their AI teams..
How to Become an AI Data Scientist
Data scientists typically need to have at least a bachelor's degree in mathematics, statistics, computer science, or a related discipline before they can begin working in the field.
But Causey says more important than your education is your skills.
“Data scientists need to be strong in many technical and non-technical skills to be successful: statistical analysis, applied mathematics, a solid computer science foundation, and excellent communication and project management skills,” he explains.
He said that continuous skills acquisition is a "must" for data scientists working with AI technologies., so job seekers “should demonstrate how their skills have evolved as the industry’s changing landscape."
However, Causey added that many aspiring data scientists underplay their non-technical skills on their resumes, merely “listing the methods and algorithms they know” and providing little information about the depth of their knowledge and other soft skills.
Six-figure salary and the freedom to work from home
According to Indeed, data scientists working in AI can expect to earn at least $100,000 with less than a year of experience. ZipRecruiter pegs the average entry-level AI data scientist salary at $122,738.
Indeed and ZipRecruiter report that this average steadily climbs with more experience in the field to around $150,000 for three to five years of experience.
manyadvanced AI data scientist positions offer salaries well over $200,000For example, a post from AI startup Uniphoreadvanced An AI scientist job ad listed a salary range of $151,200 to $207,907, while one for GE Healthcare listed a salary range of $201,907 to $301,907.advanced AI scientist job ads list base salaries of $174,800 to $296,400.
Pollak points out thatThere are also many AI data scientistsRemote workOpportunities, as this is a high-demand, highly specialised role, it may be easier to negotiate a flexible working arrangement.
Ultimately, she adds, to land those coveted data scientist positions, “you need to show employers that you are smart, savvy, adaptable, and enjoy working with people.Machine LearningWorking with lots of statistics.”