NextChapter

Job families where entry-level jobs want AI skills

Product leads: 31% of its entry-level openings ask for AI skills, against 7% across all job families.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 Product, Job family: 31%
  • #2 Data & Analytics, Job family: 22%
  • #3 Security, Job family: 16%
  • 18 job families ranked across all job families
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 7% across all job families.

  1. 1Product Job family31%
  2. 2Data & Analytics Job family22%
  3. 3Security Job family16%
  4. 4Strategy Job family11%
  5. 5Design Job family11%
  6. 6Customer Success Job family9%
  7. 7Engineering Job family8%
  8. 8Marketing Job family7%
  9. 9Investment Job family6%
  10. 10Human Resources Job family6%

What stands out

  • The lead is wide: Product (31%) is well clear of Human Resources at #10 (6%).
  • Strategy reaches #4 on a sample of 213 entry-level openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
  • Engineering is the largest market in the top ten, with 26,551 entry-level openings behind its figure.
  • Job families with fewer than 200 entry-level openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.

Why this ranking matters

What it shows

Entry-level roles used to ask for little technical background. When they ask for AI skills, the starting line has moved. This list shows where that has happened most.

How to use it

If you are applying for first roles, learn the tools named in the postings you want and show a small project that uses them.

The top 25

  1. 1

    Product Job family

    31%

    Entry-level AI openings
    159
    Entry-level openings
    518
    Median posted pay
    $200k

    Based on 518 openings.

    Product jobs and employers

  2. 2

    Data & Analytics Job family

    22%

    Entry-level AI openings
    1,201
    Entry-level openings
    5,563
    Median posted pay
    $185k

    Based on 5,563 openings.

    Data & Analytics jobs and employers

  3. 3

    Security Job family

    16%

    Entry-level AI openings
    208
    Entry-level openings
    1,299
    Median posted pay
    $184k

    Based on 1,299 openings.

    Security jobs and employers

  4. 4

    Strategy Job family

    11%

    Entry-level AI openings
    23
    Entry-level openings
    213
    Median posted pay
    $175k

    Based on 213 openings.

    Strategy jobs and employers

  5. 5

    Design Job family

    11%

    Entry-level AI openings
    158
    Entry-level openings
    1,473
    Median posted pay
    $172k

    Based on 1,473 openings.

    Design jobs and employers

  6. 6

    Customer Success Job family

    9%

    Entry-level AI openings
    142
    Entry-level openings
    1,612
    Median posted pay
    $123k

    Based on 1,612 openings.

    Customer Success jobs and employers

  7. 7

    Engineering Job family

    8%

    Entry-level AI openings
    2,087
    Entry-level openings
    26,551
    Median posted pay
    $168k

    Based on 26,551 openings.

    Engineering jobs and employers

  8. 8

    Marketing Job family

    7%

    Entry-level AI openings
    232
    Entry-level openings
    3,341
    Median posted pay
    $154k

    Based on 3,341 openings.

    Marketing jobs and employers

  9. 9

    Investment Job family

    6%

    Entry-level AI openings
    72
    Entry-level openings
    1,214
    Median posted pay
    $155k

    Based on 1,214 openings.

    Investment jobs and employers

  10. 10

    Human Resources Job family

    6%

    Entry-level AI openings
    297
    Entry-level openings
    5,300
    Median posted pay
    $125k

    Based on 5,300 openings.

    Human Resources jobs and employers

  11. 11

    Sales Job family

    5%

    Entry-level AI openings
    718
    Entry-level openings
    15,797
    Median posted pay
    $130k

    Based on 15,797 openings.

    Sales jobs and employers

  12. 12

    Research Job family

    4%

    Entry-level AI openings
    63
    Entry-level openings
    1,472
    Median posted pay
    $140k

    Based on 1,472 openings.

    Research jobs and employers

  13. 13

    Administration Job family

    4%

    Entry-level AI openings
    191
    Entry-level openings
    4,923
    Median posted pay
    $85k

    Based on 4,923 openings.

    Administration jobs and employers

  14. 14

    Finance Job family

    3%

    Entry-level AI openings
    257
    Entry-level openings
    9,124
    Median posted pay
    $125k

    Based on 9,124 openings.

    Finance jobs and employers

  15. 15

    Legal Job family

    3%

    Entry-level AI openings
    94
    Entry-level openings
    3,693
    Median posted pay
    $143k

    Based on 3,693 openings.

    Legal jobs and employers

  16. 16

    Operations Job family

    2%

    Entry-level AI openings
    238
    Entry-level openings
    9,669
    Median posted pay
    $130k

    Based on 9,669 openings.

    Operations jobs and employers

  17. 17

    Programs Job family

    2%

    Entry-level AI openings
    35
    Entry-level openings
    1,942
    Median posted pay
    $130k

    Based on 1,942 openings.

    Programs jobs and employers

  18. 18

    Clinical Job family

    2%

    Entry-level AI openings
    18
    Entry-level openings
    1,167
    Median posted pay
    $157k

    Based on 1,167 openings.

    Clinical jobs and employers

Full ranking

All 18 job families that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankJob familyScoreSample
1Product Job family31%518
2Data & Analytics Job family22%5,563
3Security Job family16%1,299
4Strategy Job family11%213
5Design Job family11%1,473
6Customer Success Job family9%1,612
7Engineering Job family8%26,551
8Marketing Job family7%3,341
9Investment Job family6%1,214
10Human Resources Job family6%5,300
11Sales Job family5%15,797
12Research Job family4%1,472
13Administration Job family4%4,923
14Finance Job family3%9,124
15Legal Job family3%3,693
16Operations Job family2%9,669
17Programs Job family2%1,942
18Clinical Job family2%1,167

How this ranking works

A job family's score is the share of its entry-level and early-career roles whose posting names at least one AI skill or tool.

The job family is the one assigned from the posting title and text. Only job families with at least 200 entry-level openings are ranked, and only roles verified on the employer's own career site in the last week are counted.

Sample bar: job families with fewer than 200 openings are not ranked.

Sources: NextChapter job data: open professional roles on employer career sites, verified in the last week. Data as of November 2026.

Our job data covers professional roles on the career sites of employers we track, so figures describe that market, not every job. Spot an error? Tell us.

Questions

Which job family ranks first: job families where entry-level jobs want ai skills?
Product leads: 31% of its entry-level openings ask for AI skills, against 7% across all job families.
How many job families are ranked?
18 job families have at least 200 entry-level openings, so the list has 18 entries.
How is the ranking calculated?
A job family's score is the share of its entry-level and early-career roles whose posting names at least one AI skill or tool. The job family is the one assigned from the posting title and text. Only job families with at least 200 entry-level openings are ranked, and only roles verified on the employer's own career site in the last week are counted.
How often is it updated?
Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.

More rankings

Cite this ranking

NextChapter, “Job families where entry-level jobs want AI skills,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/functions-where-entry-level-jobs-want-ai

Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/functions-where-entry-level-jobs-want-ai">Job families where entry-level jobs want AI skills (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>

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