IT Market in 2025: Developer Jobs Dropped 8% While AI Rose 153%

Hello HaWkers, recent data on the technology job market is generating important discussions in developer communities. An analysis of the IT market in 2025 revealed a significant trend: while traditional developer jobs dropped 8%, opportunities related to artificial intelligence grew an impressive 153%.

These numbers tell an important story about where the market is heading and how technology professionals can position themselves.

Market Numbers

Let us analyze the data in more depth to understand the complete picture.

Decline in Traditional Jobs

The 8% decline in developer jobs represents a significant change:

Most affected sectors:

• Early-stage startups: -22%
• Digital agencies: -18%
• Traditional consulting: -15%
• Mid-sized e-commerce: -12%

Least affected sectors:

• Fintechs: -3%
• Big techs: -5%
• Healthtechs: stable
• Govtech: +5%

Growth in AI

The 153% growth in AI jobs represents an explosion in demand:

Job types that grew most:

• ML Engineer: +180%
• AI Product Manager: +165%
• Data Scientist with LLM focus: +200%
• MLOps Engineer: +145%
• AI Safety Researcher: +250%

Sectors hiring most for AI:

• Financial: 28% of jobs
• Healthcare: 18% of jobs
• Retail: 15% of jobs
• Industry: 12% of jobs
• Others: 27%

Why This Is Happening

Several factors explain this market shift.

Automation of Development Tasks

AI tools are taking over tasks that previously required developers:

Tasks being automated:

• Boilerplate code
• Basic unit tests
• Code documentation
• Simple refactoring
• Debugging common problems
• Translation between languages

Impact on companies:

• Smaller teams can deliver more
• Less need to hire for repetitive tasks
• Focus on professionals who add strategic value

Market Consolidation

The technology market is undergoing consolidation:

Consolidation trends:

• Mergers and acquisitions increasing
• Startups struggling with funding
• Big techs absorbing talent
• Traditional companies reducing IT teams

Consequences:

• Fewer jobs in smaller companies
• Concentration in large employers
• More fierce competition for positions

Demand for AI Specialization

The explosion of interest in AI created specific demand:

What companies seek:

• Practical experience with LLMs
• Knowledge of MLOps and deployment
• Model fine-tuning ability
• Understanding of RAG and embeddings
• GPU infrastructure experience

💡 Context: According to research, 85% of developers already use AI tools at work, but only 15% have deep experience implementing them.

What This Means For Your Career

This data has practical implications for professionals at different stages.

For Those Starting Out

Beginning developers face a more competitive market:

Challenges:

• Entry-level positions more scarce
• Higher productivity expectations
• Competition with more experienced professionals
• Need for differentiation

Recommended strategies:

• Specialize in specific area
• Develop practical projects with AI
• Focus on skills AI does not replace
• Build online presence and portfolio

For Mid-Level Developers

Mid-level professionals have pivot opportunities:

Opportunities:

• Transition to AI-focused roles
• Specialization in high-value niches
• Technical leadership of smaller teams
• Consulting and freelancing

Recommended investments:

• Machine Learning fundamentals courses
• Practical experience with AI APIs
• Cloud ML certifications (AWS, GCP, Azure)
• Personal projects demonstrating competence

For Senior Developers

Experienced professionals have competitive advantages:

Advantages:

• Valuable business context
• Ability to architect complex systems
• Ability to evaluate and integrate AI
• Established network and reputation

Risks to avoid:

• Ignoring the ongoing transformation
• Resisting new tools
• Relying only on technical skills
• Not developing new competencies

High-Demand Skills For 2026

Based on the data, these are the most valued skills:

Technical Hard Skills

High demand:

• Python for ML/AI
• LLM frameworks (LangChain, LlamaIndex)
• MLOps (Kubeflow, MLflow)
• Vector databases (Pinecone, Weaviate)
• Cloud ML services (SageMaker, Vertex AI)

Stable demand:

• JavaScript/TypeScript
• React/Vue/Angular
• Node.js/Python backends
• SQL and relational databases
• DevOps and CI/CD

Declining demand:

• Specific legacy languages
• Obsolete frameworks
• Basic native mobile development
• Traditional systems administration

Soft Skills

Increasingly important:

• Clear communication of technical ideas
• Critical thinking and analysis
• Complex problem solving
• Effective collaboration
• Adaptability to change

Salaries and Compensation

The market shift also affects salaries:

Salary Comparison

Traditional developers (2024 vs 2025):

• Junior: $40,000-60,000 (stable)
• Mid-level: $80,000-120,000 (-5% average)
• Senior: $150,000-250,000 (stable)

AI/ML professionals (2024 vs 2025):

• Junior ML: $80,000-120,000 (+15%)
• Mid-level ML: $150,000-250,000 (+20%)
• Senior ML: $250,000-450,000 (+25%)

LLM specialists:

• ML Engineer LLM: $200,000-350,000
• AI Architect: $300,000-500,000
• AI Research Scientist: $350,000-600,000

💡 Note: Salaries vary significantly by region and company type. Big techs and fintechs generally pay above average.

How to Prepare

Practical strategies to position yourself in the new market:

Transition Roadmap

Month 1-2: Fundamentals

• Study basic ML concepts
• Understand LLM architecture
• Experiment with APIs (OpenAI, Claude, etc)
• Complete introductory course (fast.ai, Coursera)

Month 3-4: Practice

• Develop personal project with AI
• Implement basic RAG
• Experiment with fine-tuning
• Contribute to open source projects

Month 5-6: Specialization

• Choose focus area
• Obtain relevant certification
• Build public portfolio
• Network in AI communities

Recommended Resources

Free courses:

• fast.ai Practical Deep Learning
• Google ML Crash Course
• Andrew Ng Machine Learning
• Hugging Face NLP Course

Communities:

• Discord Hugging Face
• Reddit r/MachineLearning
• Local AI meetups
• LinkedIn AI groups

Outlook For 2026

What to expect in the coming months:

Expected Trends

Continuation of trends:

• More automation of development tasks
• Growth of hybrid roles (dev + AI)
• Consolidation of AI tools
• Maturation of AI/ML market

New opportunities:

• AI Safety and alignment
• Advanced prompt engineering
• AI governance and compliance
• AI integration in traditional sectors

If you want to better understand how artificial intelligence is transforming the work of developers, I recommend checking out another article: Programming Is Not Coding: The Impact of LLMs where you will discover how this change affects the nature of work.

Let's go! 🦅