Good News for Job Seekers With AI Skills: There is a Shortage of Talent
A short pool of AI-trained job seekers has slowed down hiring and impeded growth at some companies
By Stacy Stanford
A great quantity of employers looking to hire the next generation of tech employees descended on the University of California, Berkeley and Carnegie Mellon University, School of Computer Science in September to meet students at computer science career fairs.
Boris Yue, 20, was one of thousands of student attendees, threading his way among fellow job seekers to meet recruiters. His choice of specialty makes it unlikely he will have difficulty finding work. “There is no shortage of machine learning opportunities,” he said.
Undoubtedly, he is right.
Machine learning is now being used in an ever-expanding array of products: cars that drive themselves; robots that identify and eradicate weeds; computers able to distinguish dangerous skin cancers from benign moles, along smart locks, thermostats, speakers and digital assistants that are bringing the technology into homes. At Georgia Tech, students interact with digital teaching assistants made possible by AI for an online course in machine learning.
AI-related jobs include machine learning engineer, predictive modeler, corporate analytics manager, data scientist, computer vision engineer, computational linguist, and information strategy manager. | Source: Indeed.com | Credits: Ann Saphir, Data Visualization Engineer, Reuters
The expanding applications for AI have also created a shortage of qualified workers in the field. Although schools across the country are adding classes, increasing enrollment and developing new programs to accommodate student demand, there are too few potential employees with training or experience in AI.
U.S. government data does not track job openings or hires in artificial intelligence specifically, but online job postings tracked by jobsites including Indeed, Ziprecruiter and Glassdoor show job openings for AI-related positions are surging. AI job postings as a percentage of overall job postings at Indeed nearly doubled in the past two years, according to data provided by the company. Searches on Indeed for AI jobs, meanwhile increased just 15 percent.
Carnegie Mellon University this fall began offering the nation’s first undergraduate degree in artificial intelligence. “We feel strongly that the demand is there,” said Reid Simmons, who directs CMU’s new program. “And we are trying to supply the students to fill that demand.”
Article, courtesy of Stacy Stanford, full article, along references can be found on Medium.
