Employers pay above plan for AI skills, Robert Half finds
- 57% of U.S. managers are offering higher-than-planned salaries to attract hires.
- 72% of managers are raising pay for relevant AI skills.
- Average new-hire salaries are projected to rise 1.9% in 2027.
- Robert Half surveyed more than 2,000 U.S. hiring managers, leaders and workers.
CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES — Employers planning modest raises for 2027 are breaking their own budgets to land workers with specialized skills, especially in artificial intelligence (AI). Average salaries for new hires are projected to rise just 1.9% next year, yet 57% of U.S. hiring managers say they are already offering more than they planned.
AI skills command a premium
That gap is the central finding of Robert Half’s 2027 Salary Guide, HR Dive reported, with managers citing specialized skills as the main reason for bigger offers.
“Compensation expectations are evolving as employers compete for talent with specialized and emerging skills,” said Dawn Fay, operational president of Robert Half.
AI sits at the top of that list, with 72% of managers paying more for relevant AI skills and 42% paying more for AI expertise than for other technical skills.
Competition is sharpest in tech hubs such as San Francisco, Denver and Seattle, and 64% of respondents said job offers are more competitive than three years ago. The premium is going to people who can put AI to work, not to technical hires in general.
Pay transparency becomes standard
“When employers provide clarity around pay and align salaries with current market conditions, they are better positioned to attract talent, retain employees and streamline the hiring process,” Fay said. Almost all respondents now include salary ranges in job postings or plan to, saying it draws better applicants and shortens time to hire.
Pay is not the only lever, as workers also weigh flexible schedules, hybrid work, commuter benefits and 401(k) matching. The survey covered more than 2,000 U.S. hiring managers, business leaders and employed workers across seven sectors.
When specialized salaries outpace overall budgets, offshore outsourcing and business process outsourcing (BPO) give employers another route to data, analytics and security skills. When local offers keep rising above plan, buyers comparing the top BPO companies worldwide can test whether a dedicated offshore team delivers the same skills at a steadier cost.
Robert Half’s data confirm that employers are paying well above plan for specialized and AI skills. For enterprise buyers with hard-to-fill technical roles, offshore teams can ease pressure on salary budgets. BPO operators that train staff in AI and analytics are positioned to capture work that has become too costly to staff locally.
Related news
- Economists expect AI to weigh on college grads’ wages: Indeed · 3 Oct
- Rampant pay cynicism threatens employers: Marsh · 25 Sep
- AI-exposed jobs see faster pay growth: Indeed · 23 Sep
Disclosure: Outsource Accelerator uses AI tools in the backend of its editorial workflow. Every article is reviewed and verified by a human editor before publication.
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