In-demand AI-skilled talent creating new expensive barriers: Robert Half

Employers are facing new challenges amid the increasing demand for AI skills, which have reshaped compensation practices and impacted salary costs, according to Robert Half research.

With the relentless tide of AI sweeping across the workforce landscape, new research reveals that some employers have begun to pay a premium for talent who can bring AI expertise to the table, with others struggling to keep up in the war for talent.

Employers have been found to pay workers who are more proficient with AI more, as the increasing demand for these skills is reshaping compensation practices and creating new challenges amid the war for talent, said recruiter Robert Half.

Through its research, the recruiter found that 84 per cent of respondents said that AI proficiency would continue to drive salary growth in their organisations over the next one to two years.

This data was collected through survey responses that the recruiter collected from 500 hiring managers in October 2025.

The attitude was not across the board, however, with 13 per cent of respondents believing that AI capacities would have little or no impact on salaries in the near term, and only 3 per cent reporting that they remained uncertain.

In its findings, 81 per cent of hiring managers surveyed reported that the adoption of AI technologies has influenced compensation practices for roles in their organisations in the last 12 months.

Due to the fast-moving nature of AI and its role in business strategy, the upward trend in compensation for AI-proficient workers has persisted, the recruiter found.

“While AI skills are commanding higher salaries, employers are grappling with how to price their salaries accurately,” the recruiter said.

“Not only are AI skills driving up salaries, but employers are still unsure how to price them,” said Nicole Gorton, director at Robert Half.

With 32 per cent of respondents saying that they offered a salary premium for AI proficiency, 91 per cent faced challenges compensating these workers.

This challenge remained to be seen, with nearly two in five (38 per cent) saying that compensating AI-proficient candidates was the biggest hurdle they faced amid high market demand and hiring competition, it found.

“AI proficiency has found its place in the business world, becoming a sought-after skill set, and that shift is now also reshaping how companies structure compensation,” said Gorton.

However, for 4 per cent of respondents, it was a different story; this group had not yet adopted AI or was not hiring for roles requiring AI proficiency.

High market demand and compensation were not the only challenges that employers faced in recruiting this AI-proficient talent; rapidly evolving skill sets (24 per cent), (18 per cent) budget constraints, and a lack of internal salary benchmarks (10 per cent) were also top barriers for these respondents.

“We’re seeing the early stages of a new salary paradigm where not just technology skills, but AI fluency specifically, directly influences earning potential across different roles in businesses,” Gorton said.

“Companies know they need AI proficient talent, but they’re racing to define what the skill set is worth, which is creating an uneven and fast-moving compensation landscape.”

“To get ahead, organisations should conduct regular market scans, revisit benchmarking tools, and consider long-term skill development strategies to future-proof their workforce planning.”

Carlos Tse

Carlos Tse is a graduate journalist writing for Accountants Daily, HR Leader, Lawyers Weekly.

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