Jobs in demand - Ai

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As the technology and economic landscapes continuously evolve, resourceful workers frequently try to acquire new skills to make themselves more marketable to employers and clients who are seeking those who can keep up with the latest trends and tools.

Now freelance talent platform Upwork has conducted a study that reveals which skills are some of the most in-demand in 2024. Turns out, the fastest-growing skill wasn’t even on Upwork’s radar just a few years ago.

Upwork found that data science and analytics was one of the fastest-growing types of work categories. If you want to work in this field—or broaden your appeal to employers—check out the list below:

TOP 10 MOST IN-DEMAND SKILLS FOR DATA SCIENCE AND ANALYTICS

Data analytics
Machine learning
Data visualization
Data extraction
Data engineering
Data processing
Data mining
Experimentation and testing
Deep learning
Generative-AI modeling

What’s interesting about this list is that last skill in the No. 10 spot: generative-AI modeling. The term refers to the ability to build and train the models used in generative-AI tools, such as chatbots and the like. Though generative-AI modeling came in at No. 10 here, it was the fastest-growing in-demand skill in the data science and analytics category:

FASTEST-GROWING SKILLS IN DATA SCIENCE AND ANALYTICS

Generative-AI modeling
Machine learning
Data analytics

While generative-AI modeling is a skill that data scientists have possessed for years, it wasn’t even specifically labeled on Upwork’s platform as recently as 2022, a spokesperson for Upwork tells Fast Company. But with the rise of ChatGPT and other disruptive generative-AI tools, it’s now a skill that is rapidly rising in demand.

And not just that one. Upwork says that in the fourth quarter of 2023 alone, the AI and machine learning subcategory on the platform had 70% year-over-year growth.

You can check out Upwork’s lists of the most in-demand skills across various other categories here. To arrive at its findings, Upwork sourced skill data in its database from U.S. freelancer earnings between January 1 and December 31, 2023.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michael Grothaus is a novelist and author. He has written for Fast Company since 2013, where he’s interviewed some of the tech industry’s most prominent leaders and writes about everything from Apple and artificial intelligence to the effects of technology on individuals and society. Michael’s current tech-focused areas of interest include AI, quantum computing, and the ways tech can improve the quality of life for the elderly and individuals with disabilities