While Professional Vacancies Fall, AI Job Openings Surge 27%—The Future of Hiring

The global professional job market took a sharp hit in April 2025, with vacancies plunging 11.6% compared to March, according to the Robert Walters Global Jobs Index. Economic uncertainty and cautious hiring dominated mature markets like the US and UK, which saw the steepest declines. However, AI and data roles stood out as a rare bright spot: machine learning job listings jumped 27% month-on-month, fueled by companies scaling up from pilot projects to full-scale AI deployments.

 

Demand for data engineers and AI infrastructure specialists is soaring, with employers viewing AI talent as a “non-negotiable investment” for resilience and innovation. In India, AI hiring rose 33.39% year-on-year, but a talent crunch persists, especially for generative AI roles—there’s only one qualified GenAI engineer for every 10 open positions.

While overall hiring slows, organizations are focusing on precision recruitment for roles that directly boost productivity and future-proof operations.

 

Source: Robert Walters, BW People