What Job Seekers Should Know as 72% of Managers Are Increasing Pay for Relevant AI Skills

Nearly three-quarters of managers (72%) say they are increasing pay for relevant AI skills, and 42% say AI expertise commands more than other technical skills, in Robert Half's 2027 Salary Guide. The catch is that overall pay growth is slow, since average salaries for new hires are projected to rise 1.9% in 2027. Employers are adjusting their pay strategies despite tight budgets and modest overall starting salary increases. For Metaintro readers, the useful part sits below the headline, in the role-by-role salary ranges, the fields where the most employers pay more for AI skills and the cities with the highest share of employers offering above-plan salaries. Here are the numbers, and how to use them when you negotiate.

What Did Robert Half's 2027 Salary Guide Find About AI Skills?

The guide came out on Oct. 1, 2026, with projected salaries for hundreds of positions across 7 professional fields. 72% of managers are offering higher pay for relevant AI skills, with 42% offering more for AI-related expertise than for other tech skills.

57% are offering salaries above their planned range, with 87% citing the need to secure candidates with specialized skills as a top reason. Employers are also sweetening offers, as 64% say job offers are more competitive than they were 3 years ago.

Separately, 72% of employers are modestly increasing compensation budgets to help attract and retain top talent while balancing other cost pressures. That budget share is a different measure from the 72% AI skills figure.

A candidate's skills can influence pay within a given role. In plain terms, two people applying for the same job title can be offered different pay depending on their skills.

Compensation expectations are evolving as employers compete for talent with specialized and emerging skills, Robert Half operational president Dawn Fay said, according to the Robert Half press release.

How Was the Salary Guide Built, and Whose Numbers Are These?

The survey findings come from more than 2,000 hiring managers, business leaders and employed workers across the United States. Respondents work at small (10-99 employees), midsize (100-999 employees) and large (1,000-plus employees) private, publicly listed and public sector organizations, and the surveys were conducted by an independent research firm.

The salary benchmarks are built differently, and are based on actual compensation for professionals Robert Half has placed nationwide, along with third-party job posting data from Textkernel used for independent validation. The guide covers more than 425 roles in 7 professional fields, with 2.3M+ salaries analyzed and 15,000+ skills tracked.

One detail matters for anyone reading the ranges. The salary ranges reflect base salaries for new hires across all levels of experience. These are base salaries for new hires, not annual raises for people already in a job, so treat them as a market benchmark when you change employers or argue that your current pay has fallen behind.

The guide has a long history, as Robert Half has been publishing salary forecasts for more than 75 years. Robert Half is a global talent solutions and business consulting firm, and its salary pages sit next to an offer to request candidates or search openings.

How Much Do Starting Salaries Rise in 2027, and Which Roles Beat the Average?

Across all seven fields, average salaries for new hires are projected to rise 1.9% in 2027, with selected roles expected to see larger increases. Projected starting salary growth has moderated, while companies are competing for professionals with specialized skills.

Robert Half names selected roles projected to experience growth that exceeds the national average of 1.9% in 2027 in five fields.

• Technology. Business Intelligence Developer, Data Scientist and Cybersecurity Engineer are on the list of roles expected to outpace salary growth.
• Finance and accounting. Financial Analyst, Staff Accountant and Financial Planning and Analysis Manager make the same list.
• Legal. Attorney roles with 2-3 and 4-9 years' experience, plus In-House Counsel with 4-9 years' experience, are named.
• Marketing and creative. Marketing Automation Specialist, Marketing Analytics Specialist and Digital Marketing Manager are on the list.
• Administrative and customer support. Executive Assistant, Senior Administrative Assistant and Senior Customer Service Representative are also named.

What Do AI-Linked Tech Roles Pay in the 2027 Guide?

Technology and IT salaries are projected to rise an average of 2.1% year over year, after projected average increases in earlier guides of 2.9% for 2024 and 1.6% for both 2025 and 2026. In tech, 92% of technology leaders are offering higher pay for relevant AI skills, compared with 72% across all fields.

These are the tech roles with above-average projected growth, with each projected 2027 midpoint salary.

• Business intelligence developer. A midpoint of $134,750 and projected growth of 3.3%.
• Data scientist. A midpoint of $158,750 and projected growth of 3.3%.
• Cybersecurity engineer. A midpoint of $148,500 and projected growth of 3.1%.
• Network or cloud engineer. A midpoint of $136,000 and projected growth of 3.0%.
• Software engineer. A midpoint of $146,250 and projected growth of 3.0%.
• AI/ML analyst. A midpoint of $150,000 and projected growth of 2.9%.

The national salary range for Data Scientist is $123,750 - $186,750, and the top of that range describes a candidate who has extensive experience in the role, demonstrates advanced skills and often brings specialized certifications or industry experience. For this role, most employers require 5 to 10 years' experience in computer science or information systems, as well as a bachelor's degree, master's degree or PhD in a quantitative discipline.

Related AI roles carry their own ranges. An AI Architect runs from $145,250 to $204,000, an AI Engineer from $154,500 to $196,750 and an ML Engineer from $124,250 to $177,000. Skills listed for the data scientist role include AI, machine learning, natural language processing, cloud ML platforms and big data technologies.

Tech employers are also stretching budgets, as 65% of technology leaders are offering salaries above their planned range. Gaps are common too, with 72% of technology leaders reporting skills gaps within their departments.

Is the AI Premium Only for Tech Workers?

No. In finance, 82% of finance and accounting leaders are offering higher pay for relevant AI skills and half are offering greater premiums for AI-related expertise than for other technology skills. That 82% share is higher than the 72% figure across all fields.

Finance salaries overall are projected to increase an average of 1.8% year over year. These are the finance roles with above-average projected growth, each with its projected 2027 midpoint salary.

• Financial analyst. A midpoint of $83,000 and projected growth of 3.8%.
• Staff accountant. A midpoint of $76,500 and projected growth of 3.7%.
• FP&A manager. A midpoint of $143,000 and projected growth of 3.6%.
• Assistant treasurer and procurement specialist. Both have projected growth of 3.3%, with midpoints of $110,000 and $63,000.
• Payroll specialist. A midpoint of $49,000 and projected growth of 3.2%.

The national salary range for Financial Analyst is $72,000 - $94,000. Skills listed for the role include advanced Excel, budgeting and forecasting, data fluency and analytics, data visualization platform proficiency, ERP software proficiency and financial modeling.

Finance employers are also competing on offers, as 67% of finance and accounting leaders report they are making more competitive offers for business-critical roles and 69% say they have offered salaries above their planned range. Organizations remain willing to compete for professionals with specialized expertise in areas such as AI, ERP platforms, data analytics, process automation, regulatory reporting and financial systems optimization.

Which Cities Have the Most Employers Offering Above-Plan Salaries?

Nationally, 57% of managers say they are offering higher-than-planned salaries to new hires. These are the surveyed cities with the highest share of employers offering higher-than-planned salaries to attract new talent.

• The top three. San Francisco at 66%, Denver at 65% and Seattle at 64%.
• The next four. Dallas at 61%, Minneapolis at 60%, Boston at 59% and Atlanta at 57%.
• The rest of the list. Washington, D.C. at 54%, Los Angeles at 52%, Houston at 50%, New York at 48% and Chicago at 47%.

New York and Chicago sit at the bottom of this ranking. Salary levels differ by city too, and a data scientist in Austin, TX is projected at $143,550 to $216,630, and the guide's Salary Calculator lets you search projected starting salaries by job title and city.

How Does This Compare With PwC's AI Wage Premium Data?

The average wage premium for AI skills rose to 62%, across more than one billion jobs advertisements in 27 countries and territories in the PwC 2026 Global AI Jobs Barometer released on June 15, 2026.

The 62% wage premium comes from job advertisements across many countries, while the 72% comes from a survey of U.S. hiring managers about whether they are paying more for AI skills. The 72% figure is a share of employers, not the size of the raise, and Robert Half gives no dollar or percentage size for the AI premium in its 2027 Salary Guide announcement.

Demand is rising as well, since jobs requiring specific AI skills are growing almost eight times (69%) faster than the total jobs market (9%). At the entry level, AI-exposed entry-level roles are seven times more likely to require traditionally senior-level skills such as judgement and leadership, in an analysis of U.S. data.

What Else Moves an Offer Besides Salary?

96% of employers in Robert Half's survey say they include salary ranges in job descriptions or plan to do so, and they name these benefits of pay transparency.

• Attracting a higher-quality candidate pool at 60% and improving employee retention at 57%.
• Strengthening salary negotiations at 53% and reducing time-to-hire at 34%.

91% of employers use, or plan to use, external market data to benchmark salaries, and 93% intend to establish clear pay bands across roles and levels. Two-thirds of companies are reviewing salaries for parity.

Workers also weigh perks, and asked which benefits beyond healthcare would most influence their decisions, workers cited flexible work hours at 67%, commuter benefits at 55%, hybrid work arrangements at 51%, free or subsidized meals at 51% and a 401(k) match at 50%. If base pay is fixed, these are items you can still put on the table.

Employers are willing to offer higher pay for professionals who understand where AI can add value, can integrate it into day-to-day processes, and can apply it responsibly to solve real business challenges, Robert Half operational president Dawn Fay said, according to the Fortune report on the guide.

How Can You Show AI Skills in a Raise or Offer Negotiation?

The skills described go beyond using a tool. Robert Half's Dawn Fay told Fortune that employers are willing to offer higher pay for professionals who understand where AI can add value, can integrate it into day-to-day processes, and can apply it responsibly. That gives you a simple frame for any negotiation.

• Name the business result. Describe a task you sped up, a report you automated or an error rate you cut, since Fay says employers are willing to offer higher pay for professionals who can apply AI to solve real business challenges.
• Match the skills employers list. Technology skills that may influence compensation include agentic AI, AI governance, data architecture and infrastructure, and infrastructure automation.
• Back it with a credential where it fits. Tech certifications in the guide include the IBM AI Engineering Professional Certificate, AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner and CompTIA (A+, Cloud+, Security+).
• Bring a market number. Look up your title and city in the Robert Half salary calculator, and note where your skills place you between the low, mid and high points of the range.

The range levels help here. The high point describes a candidate who has extensive experience in the role, demonstrates advanced skills and often brings specialized certifications or industry experience. If your AI work fits that description, that is the part of the range to ask about, and How to Show AI Skills on Your Resume and in Interviews helps you put that work on paper.

What This Means for Job Seekers, and What Should You Do Next?

Our take is that this guide is good news for a narrow group, not for everyone. With overall new-hire pay projected to rise 1.9%, the bigger gains are concentrated in selected roles expected to see larger increases. The workers with leverage are those who can show relevant AI skills, which 72% of managers are increasing pay for.

The word relevant matters. The pay finding covers relevant AI skills, and finance employers value professionals who can help implement and optimize AI solutions while maintaining financial oversight and compliance. Pair any course with a work example that shows you can integrate it into day-to-day processes, and if you work outside tech, AI Skills for Non-Technical Roles in Marketing, Sales, and Operations is a place to find those examples.

Here is what we would do.

• Check your role against the faster-growing list. If you are in one of the roles projected to beat the 1.9% average, use that role's projected range when you discuss a starting offer.
• Use the range, not the midpoint. Ask for the level that matches your skills, since the high point describes extensive experience in the role, advanced skills and often specialized certifications or industry experience.
• Ask for the pay range early. Most employers say they include salary ranges in job descriptions or plan to, so it is a normal question.
• Negotiate the package. If the salary is fixed, flexible work hours and hybrid work are among the perks workers value most.
• Do not overstate the premium. The 72% is a share of employers paying more, not a fixed raise, so build your ask on your role's own range.

Related Articles

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• How to Negotiate Salary in an Interview
• How to Ask for a Raise
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• Free and Low-Cost Ways to Learn AI Skills That Employers Trust
• Workers Are Turning to AI for Raise Requests, and a Gender Gap Is Emerging
• Skills Training Programs and How to Choose One That Actually Raises Your Pay
• Could AI Actually Raise Your Salary, a New Study Says Yes
• What Tech Workers Need to Learn as AI Skills Take Over Job Postings

People Also Asked

Q: Are employers paying more for AI skills in 2027?

A: Yes. 72% of managers are increasing pay for relevant AI skills, with 42% offering more for AI-related expertise than other technical skills.

Q: How much will starting salaries rise in 2027?

A: Average salaries for new hires across the seven fields in the guide are projected to rise 1.9% in 2027, with selected roles expected to see larger increases.

Q: Which tech and finance jobs get the biggest salary increases in the Robert Half guide?

A: In tech, business intelligence developers and data scientists are projected at 3.3%, and in finance, financial analysts are projected at 3.8%.

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