Survey finds AI sparks hiring wave, not job losses in tech sector. Even in data entry.

Despite widespread fears that artificial intelligence will eliminate jobs across industries, recent employment data tells a markedly different story. Two comprehensive surveys reveal that technology hiring remains surprisingly resilient, with AI actually driving increased demand for both permanent employees and contract workers.

This contradiction between public anxiety and market reality reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of how AI transforms work rather than simply replacing it. While automation handles routine tasks, the complexity of implementing, managing, and refining AI systems creates entirely new categories of human work. The result is a labor market where technical skills remain in high demand, though the specific capabilities employers seek are rapidly evolving.

The permanent hiring landscape stays steady

Global technology employment shows remarkable stability despite AI’s rapid adoption across industries. According to Experis, ManpowerGroup’s technology recruitment division, 48% of tech employers worldwide plan to hire during the fourth quarter of 2025, based on a survey of 6,533 IT employers across 42 countries.

The United States leads this hiring optimism, with 58% of American tech employers planning to increase headcount this quarter. Only 11% indicated plans to reduce staff, suggesting that AI adoption is creating more opportunities than it eliminates. While this represents a modest two-percentage-point decline from the 60% who planned to hire during the same period last year, the drop hardly signals a job market collapse.

What’s particularly telling is the motivation behind this hiring. Nearly one in four employers (24%) specifically cite the need to keep pace with digital advancements like AI as their primary reason for recruiting new talent. This isn’t about replacing human workers with machines—it’s about finding people who can work effectively alongside AI systems.

“The real challenge is the skills mismatch, and companies know they need to invest in the right talent to stay competitive,” explains Kye Mitchell, president of Experis US. This skills gap affects 41% of tech and IT employers, who struggle to find qualified candidates despite strong demand.

The hiring patterns reveal interesting sector-specific trends. IT services companies, which help other businesses implement and manage technology systems, show the strongest growth trajectory, with 52% planning to hire compared to 49% last year. Software companies maintain steady demand at 52%, while semiconductor manufacturers—facing broader industry challenges—have pulled back from 45% to 34% planning new hires.

Contract work surges as AI complexity grows

The freelance and contract labor market tells an even more compelling story about AI’s impact on employment. Upwork, a major freelancing platform, analyzed over one million US job postings from the past month and found significant increases in demand for skills that complement rather than compete with artificial intelligence.

Project management leads this surge, growing 17% overall and an extraordinary 102% among small to medium-sized businesses. This explosion reflects what Stanford University professor Nicholas Bloom calls the need for “human infrastructure” to manage AI implementation. As companies deploy AI tools across their operations, they need experienced professionals to coordinate these complex rollouts, manage timelines, and ensure different AI systems work together effectively.

Translation and localization services jumped 29%, driven by businesses expanding AI applications across global markets. When a company deploys an AI customer service system internationally, human experts must adapt the technology for different languages, cultural contexts, and regulatory requirements—work that requires both technical understanding and cultural expertise.

Other growing contract categories include sales and marketing copywriting (up 12%), quality assurance testing (up 9%), digital marketing (up 9%), and video and animation (up 8%). Each of these areas requires human judgment to refine AI outputs, ensure quality, and maintain brand consistency.

The most sought-after AI skills

The specific technical skills driving this hiring boom reveal how humans and AI systems complement each other in practice. Python programming tops the list, reflecting the reality that most AI tools require custom integration and ongoing technical maintenance. While AI can generate code, experienced Python developers are needed to implement, debug, and optimize these systems for specific business needs.

Video editing ranks second, highlighting how AI video generation tools create more work rather than less. While AI can produce raw video content, human editors are essential for refining these outputs, ensuring brand consistency, and creating polished final products that meet professional standards.

The complete ranking of most in-demand AI-related skills includes:

1. Python programming
2. Video editing
3. Graphic design
4. ChatGPT expertise
5. AI-generated video production
6. Machine learning
7. Virtual assistance
8. Content writing
9. Data entry
10. Adobe Illustrator

Perhaps most surprising is the resurgence of data entry work, traditionally viewed as ripe for automation. Teng Liu, economist for the Upwork Research Institute, explains this apparent contradiction: “This demand for foundational human skills shows that businesses’ focus is shifting.” AI systems require massive amounts of clean, properly formatted data to function effectively, creating new demand for workers who can prepare and validate information for AI consumption.

What this means for different stakeholders

For job seekers, these trends create clear opportunities in areas where human skills enhance AI capabilities rather than compete with them. The strongest prospects exist in roles requiring oversight, creativity, and complex problem-solving—areas where AI serves as a powerful tool rather than a replacement.

Employers face a different challenge: finding workers who can effectively collaborate with AI systems while maintaining the human judgment necessary for quality control and strategic decision-making. The skills gap identified by 41% of tech employers suggests that traditional training programs haven’t kept pace with these evolving requirements.

Investors and business leaders should recognize that AI adoption often requires increased rather than decreased human capital investment, at least in the near term. Companies successfully implementing AI typically need more specialized talent, not less, to manage the complexity of these systems.

Looking ahead

The employment data suggests that concerns about AI-driven job losses may be premature, at least in the technology sector. Instead of wholesale replacement, the current trend shows AI creating new categories of work while transforming existing roles. The challenge for both employers and workers lies in developing the skills necessary to thrive in this human-AI collaborative environment.

This doesn’t guarantee that all jobs will survive AI adoption, but it does indicate that the transition may be more gradual and opportunity-rich than many predictions suggest. The key appears to be focusing on distinctly human capabilities—creativity, judgment, complex communication, and strategic thinking—that complement rather than compete with artificial intelligence.