This is the fastest-growing job for young workers, LinkedIn says
Artificial intelligence is a technology that is causing both excitement and anxiety as it continues to advance. While there are concerns about AI taking people’s jobs, it is also creating new career opportunities, according to LinkedIn.
LinkedIn’s recent report found that the fastest-growing job title for young workers on the platform is “AI engineer.” By analyzing millions of member profiles, LinkedIn determined the number of entry-level workers hired in the last three years and the roles they were hired for.
“It’s measuring momentum for these job titles,” said Kory Kantenga, the head of economics, Americas, at LinkedIn. “Companies are just gorging on AI talent.”
Between 2023 and 2025, there were 639,000 AI-related job postings in the U.S., with 75,000 of them being AI engineer roles.
What is an AI engineer?
AI engineer is the fastest-growing job title for young people for the second consecutive year, according to LinkedIn. The job involves building and running AI products, such as AI agents and Large Language Models (LLMs), and integrating them into a business’s workflow.
“Ultimately, it comes down to building models, meaning that they’re building something that can make a decision or make some inference or identify some patterns, and then they need to be able to evaluate those models and update them accordingly,” Kantenga explained.
The tech industry hires the most AI engineers, followed by financial services. A search on LinkedIn for entry-level AI engineers also shows job listings from defense contractors, universities, and consulting firms. Employers hiring for the role tout it as an opportunity to “solve business challenges,” “improve efficiency,” and “eliminate repetitive, manual work,” according to job descriptions on LinkedIn.
Young Americans, especially those aged 20 to 24, face challenges in finding employment. The unemployment rate for this age group was 6.4% in March, significantly higher than the overall U.S. rate of 4.3%. Some evidence suggests that employers may be turning to AI solutions rather than hiring younger, less experienced workers.
After ChatGPT was launched in 2022, jobs that involved structured and repetitive tasks decreased by 13%, as reported by a study from Harvard Business School.
Young job seekers often apply to hundreds of positions before securing a role. Between December 2025 and February 2026, hiring for entry-level roles in the U.S. dropped by 6% compared to the same period the previous year, according to LinkedIn.
“Getting started and breaking into the labor market right now probably does require a certain amount of AI aptitude, or AI literacy, to get ahead,” Kantenga said. “Companies are increasingly looking for folks who can bring that skill into their company, help them scale up, and identify the best use cases for AI.”
