AI job market: +32% of job postings in one year

Context

TL;DR

• Nearly 5'000 AI job postings between July 2025 and June 2026
• Demand for AI is growing by 32% in one year
• The public sector records the largest increase: 67%
• Zurich accounts for 45% of Swiss postings

Key facts

• Period → July 2025-June 2026
• AI job postings → nearly 5'000
• Annual growth → 32%
• Main sector → IT, 1'211 offers
• Public institutions → 67% more listings
• SMEs → 76% of the increase and 62% of positions
• Zurich → 2'181 listings, 45% of the national total
• Study sample → 8'439 postings

Between July 2025 and June 2026, nearly 5'000 job postings related to artificial intelligence were published in Switzerland. Compared with the previous twelve months, the number increased by 32%. This figure is at the heart of the Swiss AI Jobs Report 2026 by Hochschule Luzern.

The study provides a snapshot of a market that is not limited to the technology sector. Demand rose in all ten main areas of activity considered: these include, in addition to information technology and finance and insurance, education and research, the chemical-pharmaceutical, commercial and logistics sectors, the public sector, engineering and industry, as well as legal and business consulting and healthcare.

In absolute terms, IT remains ahead with 1'211 offers. The sharpest change, however, comes from public institutions, which increased listings by 67%. According to the study's author, Curdin Derungs, this growth indicates that politics and public administration are strengthening their confidence in AI as the technology of the future.

The expansion is driven by small and medium-sized enterprises, responsible for 76% of the recorded increase and 62% of all published positions. The report describes AI as a presence entering the processes and services of established SMEs, no longer limited to major technology groups.

From quantity to profiles

Positions in Data Engineering and Machine Learning Engineering account for nearly 40% of postings: these are profiles that build data infrastructure and ensure the functioning of AI models. Demand is also growing for Product Owners, Managers and AI Consultants, who are tasked with identifying business applications and guiding their implementation.

Recruitment focuses on candidates with experience and a combination of technical and strategic skills. Senior positions increased by 42%. Opportunities remain for people at the beginning of their careers, but permanent junior positions represent only 5% of the total.

Derungs points out that the market is described as extremely selective by those seeking their first job and that the search is challenging even for candidates with years of experience.

The report thus provides a useful framework for navigating among the annunci di lavoro, distinguishing the type of role from the simple AI label.

Operational details

What changes in how the market is read

The +32% does not merely describe a quantitative increase. The report's map shows that AI appears across different activities: data, product management, consulting, finance, healthcare, industry and administration. For job seekers, this broadens the possible entry points, but makes a search built around a single job title less effective.

Profiles that do not overlap

The report compares two families of roles that address different needs. Data Engineering and Machine Learning Engineering work on data infrastructure and model operations. Product Owner, Manager and AI Consultant, on the other hand, are associated with identifying business applications and implementing them. For the reader, this distinction helps clarify whether a position mainly involves technical construction or connecting technology with business applications.

The role of SMEs adds another practical element. Growth is not concentrated solely in large technology groups: the report attributes the largest share of the increase and a significant share of the published positions to SMEs. Those who want to turn this data into a concrete search can include aziende che assumono alongside large companies, including established SMEs, without limiting the search to the best-known names.

An uneven geography

The market does not show the same intensity in every area. Canton Zurich accounts for 2'181 postings, equivalent to 45% of the national total. In the cantons of Central Switzerland, the report indicates between 100 and 140 listings per 100'000 inhabitants, compared with a Swiss average of 96. In Canton Lucerne, postings grew by 55%.

These data suggest a search broken down by area: the Zurich pool remains the largest, while Central Switzerland shows a higher-than-average density of listings. The national figure alone does not describe the differences between the cantons. Separating region, sector and role type makes it possible to read the demand captured by the report more precisely.

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Key points

How to use the report for guidance

To use the report as a guide, separate three questions: what type of role to look for, which sectors to explore and which areas to focus the search on. The figures do not indicate a single AI profession; they show different skill families and territories. From there, a straightforward path can be built.

Four practical steps

1. Define the profile. If you are looking for a technical role, look at positions related to Data Engineering or Machine Learning Engineering; if you are interested in the connection with the business, consider Product Owner, Manager and AI Consultant.

2. Broaden the sectors. Don't stop at IT: the analysis also includes finance and insurance, education and research, the chemical-pharmaceutical, commercial and logistics sectors, the public sector, engineering and industry, as well as legal and business consulting and healthcare.

3. Rank the areas. Compare Canton Zurich, Central Switzerland and Canton Lucerne using the period and number of job postings indicated by the report.

4. Read seniority levels cautiously. The growth in senior positions does not automatically make the search easy: the report points to difficulties even for experienced profiles, while permanent junior jobs remain a small share.

Data scope

Before comparing the results, keep the periods considered separate. The Swiss AI Jobs Report 2026 examined 8'439 job postings published between July 2024 and June 2026; almost 5'000 belong to the July 2025–June 2026 window. The job postings were provided by x28 AG and then processed and analyzed with the support of the same AI. The quantitative data are complemented by interviews with professionals active in different sectors and roles.

The method helps you read the report for what it measures: published job postings and observed trends, supplemented by professional testimonials. Therefore, use the time window, professional family and geographic area as separate filters, without confusing the overall sample with a single category of job postings.

To accompany this reading with a personal reference point, use calcolatore stipendio.

Source: tio.ch