AI job salaries surge 23% since 2024 as legacy tech pay slips: Report
Executive Take
Pay growth now tracks AI skills, not tenure or traditional tech titles. Leaders who keep paying legacy tech roles at old rates will lose their best AI talent to competitors.
Executive Summary
A foundit report shows AI job salaries rose 23% since 2024, while legacy tech pay growth slowed. AI salaries grew 12% year on year last year, the highest among tracked categories, followed by Computer & Network Security and Semiconductors, both at 9%.
Why It Matters
HR and technology leaders need to see this now because compensation bands built for old tech roles are already out of date. Retention risk is highest for teams without AI skill premiums built into pay structures.
Bizquad Perspective
The real risk isn't losing AI talent to rivals, it's losing legacy engineers who quietly retrain into AI roles inside the same company and demand a raise you didn't budget for.