LinkedIn data reveals AI’s rise in the job market alongside growth in traditional service roles

Key findings: LinkedIn’s analysis of job updates from January 2022 to July 2024 reveals significant growth in artificial intelligence roles, alongside unexpected increases in traditional service sectors.

• Artificial Intelligence Engineer and AI Consultant claimed the top two spots in LinkedIn’s annual “Jobs on the Rise” list
• Physical Therapist emerged as the third fastest-growing position
• Workforce Development Manager and Travel Advisor completed the top five positions

Industry trends: The data highlights a notable shift in the job market, with AI-related positions dominating while previously growing roles in diversity and inclusion have declined.

• Major companies, including McDonald’s, have scaled back their DEI initiatives
• Diversity and inclusion roles, which ranked highly from 2018-2023, no longer appear in the top 25
• Travel and hospitality sectors show renewed growth potential

Gender distribution: The analysis reveals significant gender disparities in several high-growth positions.

• Male-dominated roles include Security Guards (67% male), Outside Sales Representatives (81%), AI Consultants (70%), and Engineers (80%)
• The data suggests continued gender imbalances in emerging technical fields

Labor market context: Recent economic indicators suggest a robust job market despite ongoing changes in job composition.

• December 2024 saw 256,000 new jobs added to the US economy, exceeding economist expectations of 153,000
• The unemployment rate decreased to 4.1%, indicating sustained labor market strength

Market implications: While AI-related positions dominate the growth rankings, the presence of traditional service roles in the top positions suggests a more nuanced evolution of the job market than pure technological displacement. These trends indicate that while AI is creating new opportunities, human-centered roles remain vital to the economy.