LinkedIn data shows younger workers are capturing the bulk of new AI roles even as hiring overall lags.
The Wall Street Journal reports LinkedIn data show that 69% of AI engineer hires and 68% of forward-deployed engineer hires in 2025 were Gen Z, while 60% of "head of AI" hires were millennials.
"Most of the workers who have been hired into AI roles in the last year are actually Gen Z," Kory Kantenga, LinkedIn's head of economics for the Americas, told the paper.
The paper also flags barriers: 90% of hires for AI-related jobs had a bachelor's degree, 20% of hires for AI leadership jobs held doctorates, and 26% of AI hires were women.
That pattern fits a wider split labor market where firms are trimming elsewhere while directing spending into AI roles and infrastructure, and where demand for AI skills is growing faster than the broader jobs market.
LinkedIn has recently pushed measures to reduce visible low-quality AI content and tune its feed, a context that matters because the platform both surfaces AI talent and polices AI-driven noise.
Kantenga cautioned the opportunity is uneven: momentum exists in AI hiring, but education and representation gaps mean not everyone can take advantage.
