Leaders have long warned that AI would upend industries from finance to software engineering. But according to Indeed’s chief economist, Svenja Gudell, the reality is more nuanced—and far more promising for those who adapt.
“The sectors that are most exposed to AI right now are seeing the most growth in terms of demand for those jobs,” Gudell said at Fortune’s Workplace Innovation Summit.
Software development serves as a prime example. While traditional coding roles have become more competitive, demand for AI-fluent developers is surging. Software development job postings on Indeed rose 14% year-over-year in April 2026, with more than 47% now mentioning AI. Employers are actively seeking professionals who can work alongside the technology rather than compete against it—and they’re willing to pay a premium for those skills.
This AI-driven demand stands in stark contrast to the broader labor market. U.S. unemployment sits at 4.3%, job openings remain near pre-pandemic levels, and overall hiring is sluggish. Yet postings mentioning AI have jumped more than 130% over the same period, effectively splitting the market into AI-adjacent winners and everyone else.
“AI is creating a whole bunch of new jobs,” Gudell noted. “If you are an AI software developer, things are looking quite good for you. There’s a wage premium on your skills right now.”
Gudell is candid about the challenges as well. Many roles—such as sales representatives, historians, data scientists, and personal financial advisors—are being significantly reshaped by generative AI, according to Microsoft. Some companies, including Block and Cisco, have cited AI as a factor in headcount reductions. The information sector’s layoff rate has doubled to 2.4% over the past year, the highest increase of any industry.
Still, the data offers reassurance. Indeed’s 2025 AI at Work report found that while 26% of jobs could be highly transformed and 54% moderately transformed by generative AI, fewer than 1% of workplace skills can currently be performed entirely by AI without human involvement.
“Our own research actually shows that AI will touch every single job out there,” Gudell explained. “Every job will be touched by AI—some more so than others—but at least currently, with today’s technology, not a single job can be completely done by AI. You still need the human in the loop.”