IT engineers with AI skills are earning significantly more than their non-AI counterparts, according to a recent study. The report by Levels.fyi, a website that offers salary information in the United States, emphasizes how valuable AI expertise is becoming in the tech sector.
Higher Earnings for AI Engineers
At the entry level, AI engineers earn approximately 8.57% more than those without AI skills. This pay gap widens to 11.08% at the staff engineer level. As of March, the median salary for AI engineers in the United States had reached $300,600, the highest ever recorded.
However, some companies are offering much higher salaries. For instance, self-driving car company Cruise offers its senior-level AI engineers $450,000, while Amazon pays $427,500.
“As AI shakes up much of the industry, it also raises the bar for engineering compensation in 2024,” said Alina Kolesnikova, an analyst at Levels.fyi. “It’s a testament to where businesses choose to invest and where they aim to compete for the best talent.”
The Global Perspective
The trend of higher wages for AI skills is not exclusive to the U.S. A report by professional services firm PwC reveals that U.K. employers are willing to pay an average 14% wage premium for jobs requiring AI skills.
The legal and tech sectors in the U.K. are particularly competitive, with premiums reaching up to 58%. This positions the United Kingdom as the second-highest country in terms of AI wage premiums, behind only the United States, where the average premium is 25%.
Investments in AI Talent
Recognizing the growing importance of AI, companies are investing heavily in training the next generation of AI workers. J.P. Morgan has established an AI research center at Carnegie Mellon University, though the exact investment amount remains unspecified.
Additionally, Amazon has pledged to educate two million people worldwide on generative AI by 2025.
U.S. tech billionaire Elon Musk stressed the need to raise engineer salaries in April to keep them from leaving for companies like OpenAI, which offer generous compensation packages.
The information is taken from VN Express and MSN
