98% of Executives Want Workers With AI Skills & They’re Paying a Premium for Them

Zapier: 98% of executives want workers with AI skills

Today’s job market headlines include a new study that focuses on how employees are adding self-taught job skills on their resumes and how employers feel about it. Interesting stuff. Also, Payscale just dropped its annual compensation best practices report, and the data tells a story about shrinking raises, disappearing 9 to 5 schedules, and an AI skills gap that companies aren’t paying to close. Which is contradictory to what I’m going to tell you about this first report. Now, this is fascinating. Because if you need one number to understand where the job market is headed right now, this is it.

According to Zapier, 98% of executives say they want workers who can use AI. Let that sink in. That’s not a majority or a strong majority. That’s essentially all of them. And they’re not just talking about it. 65% plan to train current employees, 44% are looking to hire new talent and train them, and 43% plan to hire people who already have AI skills. A third are even bringing in external consultants to fill the gap. So AI skills in 2026 are mandatory. And if that’s news, well, you’re not paying close attention, but hopefully you can hear that now and then act accordingly. And there’s more. 56% of executives already have employees whose roles are primarily focused on AI.

The roles companies are creating, and the pay that comes with them

And these aren’t people using Chat GPT to brainstorm subject lines, right? You could do that, but we’re talking about dedicated AI specialists, machine learning engineers, prompt engineers, automation engineers, a lot of very specialized roles. And another 24% don’t have those roles yet, but plan to create them soon. Only 8% have no AI-focused roles and no plans to add them. So if you’re sitting there thinking this AI thing is going to blow over, as I know many people do, I see it constantly in comments. Anytime there’s a report on AI, whether it’s ours or someone else’s, please don’t think that. These are the executives telling you what they’re doing. And these companies, they’re just doubling down.

The ones that are early to AI, they’re not pulling back. Don’t believe any reports that show that. This is only going to increase. But let me get to the money. 60% of executives predict AI focused roles will earn higher pay than comparable non-AI positions. And nearly one in four, so 22% specifically, say they’ll pay a premium of 20% or more for AI skills. The top skills employers are looking for include generative AI usage and prompt engineering, data management and analysis, soft skills like communication and problem solving, AI deployment and DevOps, and project management. And here’s what’s interesting about that list. Three of the top five most wanted AI skills aren’t actually AI-specific at all. Data management, soft skills, and project management are foundational capabilities that translate across any role.

So if you’re feeling behind on the technical side, don’t. Don’t panic. Build on the foundation that you already have professionally and then layer AI on top of it. And as I’ve alluded to, this isn’t a short-term trend. 55% of executives say they’re making a long-term investment in AI skills. Last year, 38% of executives said they had more than 100 employees in AI roles. But now that number has jumped to 52%. So the message from the C-suite is crystal clear. And that’s why I put this report first because I think when you’re talking to top executives, they’re telling you where the puck is going, so to speak, where they’re heading. And everyone should pay attention to this closely. AI skills are not a fad, they are the new baseline. And so if you’re a job seeker, start figuring out how to build them. And the good news is that is something that is becoming acceptable, building skills on your own.

Express Employment Poll: Self-taught skills are officially credible

So let’s go through some of this data. It’s a new Express Employment poll that found 66% of Gen Z report teaching themselves job skills online. Now, Gen Z is a leader in this. That shouldn’t surprise anyone. Only 20% of boomers are doing it. Come on, they’re but they don’t have to, right? They’re at the end of their careers. 35% of Gen X, so only one out of three from my generation, and uh 50% of millennials are teaching themselves job skills online. And nearly half of all job seekers, 47%, are now putting those self-taught skills on their resumes. And both sides of the hiring table are good with it, which is I think it’s outstanding.

74% of job seekers and 71% of hiring managers say skills learned through informal online platforms are credible. So it’s okay, put aside what the job seekers say about it. Their vote isn’t the one that counts here. But seven out of ten hiring managers say they’re calling that good. I love it. I I think that’s where we’re heading. The traditional education system is not keeping up with what is needed right now in the job market, and managers are picking up on that and looking for candidates who are willing, and I think it’s a I think it’s a plus as a candidate who’s willing to teach himself skills.

How to prove your skills, not just list them

Um now, there is a catch, and it’s a big one. 92% of hiring managers say that demonstrating how skills were actually used or how they would be applied is more effective than just reviewing them on a resume, right? 92%. So that’s pretty clear too. Don’t just tell me you can do it, show me. Um the study lays out what I’ll refer to as a credibility ladder in that regard for any self-taught candidates, where employers want you to demonstrate strong industry knowledge, clearly describe the skills and how you’ve used them, complete a work sample or assessment, um, and provide examples of real work using these self-taught skills. And listen, I do projects on your own, right?

Create you have to stand out in this competitive job market unless you’re someone with in-demand skills, rare skills. If you you know, we you have to know where you are in the supply-demand curve. But if you don’t have those unique skills, this is an opportunity for you to stand out. So the credibility ladder is really gold for job seekers. Don’t just say you learned Python on YouTube, show the project you built with it as an example. Don’t just list data analysis on your resume, walk through a problem that you solved. And I I love it. I think job seekers and candidates who are willing to do that will absolutely stand out. So, really, really good to see in this report today. Kind of made my day to see companies at scale, right? Seven out of ten hiring managers are saying, yeah, we value what employees have learned on their own.

Now, despite the growing acceptance, traditional education does still hold weight. 53% of hiring managers still prefer a formal education. That number will decline. I almost but guarantee it. 29% value both equally. And there are 18% that favor self-taught learning, and I see why. But companies are already adapting too. 52-50% say they’ve already updated their hiring processes. So they’re not just saying they’re doing it, they’re actually doing it. So that’s what is happening uh right now. And there’s an AI connection that ties back to the first story. 75% of job seekers say AI advancements make them more likely to pursue additional training. And 76% believe it’s appropriate to learn professional skills using AI. Yes, take advantage of AI. While you’re adding AI skills, it all ties together really nicely. So AI is creating the demand for the new skills and becoming the tool people use to learn them. It’s a self-perpetuating cycle. I love it.

PayScale: Raises are shrinking, and the AI pay gap is real

Now, let’s talk about what companies are actually paying, and this is according to PayScale. They just released their 17th Annual Compensation Best Practices Report, and the data paints a complicated picture. So think back to the Zapier report as we as we get into this. Let’s start with raises, though. 75% of organizations are planning base pay increases this year, but that’s down from 82%. So one out of four companies aren’t planning raises at all. And the medium raise that you can expect is around 3.5%, unless you’re in construction. That’s projected to be about 5%. But for everyone else, you know, it’s this is going to be tough because even though inflation has cooled, the cost of living that I’m experiencing, that I think most of us are experiencing, that hasn’t. I don’t necessarily believe the published inflation numbers.

I look at the check amount of the bill when I go to a restaurant today versus two years ago, and let me tell you, that has gone up significantly. Also, according to this report, the traditional nine to five office schedule is all but disappeared. Only 18% of companies have a traditional nine to five setting. Others, of course, are doing hybrid, remote, flexible work. Um, looks like that’s where we’re gonna land post-COVID. There was a lot of RTO return to office going on about a year ago now, that was in all the headlines constantly. But I think that is settled and we’re just going to be where we are. Now, here’s the disconnect from earlier. When it comes to AI and compensation, 61% of organizations have updated existing roles to include AI-related skills. But 55% are offering no premiums, no bonuses, no equity for employees who’ve actually built their AI skill set. Only 14% offer higher base pay for AI skills. So this happens at least once a week to me, where I have reports that seem to contradict what I just read from another study or another survey.

So we have to temper that. I’m going to go with the executives in the Zapier story that very clearly said they value AI skills and they’re willing to pay for it, even though we know not everyone will. But I do want to point out that difference. So there’s just a few more numbers from this I think are worth paying attention to. Voluntary turnover hit um 8%, which is one of the lowest rates ever recorded. And only 43% of organizations say they hired actively last year. So less than half of companies were actively hiring. And the last thing I’ll share is that 44% of organizations are giving or considering giving what uh PayScale refers to as peanut butter pay increases, where you spread the increase, the raise around evenly. I don’t like it. A peanut butter approach, I like the term, but I don’t like the approach. Because when you give everyone the same raise, you’re essentially telling your top performers they’re valued the same as everyone else. Why would you do that? You should value your top performers at a higher level and compensate them accordingly. So I see it as a retention risk for your best people. I don’t like it. I would stay away from it, but those are your headlines today.

Fun fact: The surprisingly real job of pet food taster

Before we go, pet food tester. This is our fun fact. And I think I think of pet food. Okay, pets eating peanut butter. I try I tried to tie that together, it’s not gonna work. But the pet food tester is a real job. They tet they taste test batches of pet food for flavor, consistency, and nutrition. I did that as a kid. I ate milk bones, I think everyone did at some point, right? You had to try a milk bone, isn’t that a rite of passage? At least back in back in my day it was you had to do that. But I do not want to be a pet food tester. I see what my dogs eat. It’s gross, not interested. But that’s it for today. I’m going to say goodbye now. Thank you for listening. Please like and subscribe and share with anyone who you think might be interested. And I’ll look forward to talking to you tomorrow.