Which jobs are most likely to require generative AI skills?
Despite growing interest in generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), references to the technology in Canadian job postings remain low, according to a recent report.
Specifically, only 0.29 per cent of job postings in late January 2025 mentioned GenAI-related terms.
That data stood at around 0.1 per cent in January 2024 and around 0.2 per cent in July 2024, finds the Indeed Hiring Lab.
The current proportion is similar to that of the United Kingdom and slightly higher than the United States and Australia.
GenAI mentions in job postings across countries (Jan. 2025 averages):
- 0.29 per cent in Canada
- 0.28 per cent in the U.K.
- 0.24 per cent in the U.S.
- 0.23 per cent in Australia
- 0.20 per cent in France
- 0.18 per cent in Germany
“GenAI tools haven’t yet disrupted businesses’ workflow to the point where many employers are explicitly seeking out job seekers with related skills and experience, but there’s substantial room for growth,” says Indeed.
The low number, however, does not mean that employers are not putting a lot of value on GenAI skills, according to the report.
“While some positions that don’t mention GenAI will likely still incorporate the technology in day-to-day tasks, it’s rare for related tools and skills to be central enough in the workflow of many positions for employers to mention it in their job postings overtly,” says Indeed.
Many Canadian managers say that artificial intelligence (AI) is leading to a shift in high-demand skills, according to a previous report from Robert Half.
Which jobs are most likely to require GenAI skills?
Mentions of GenAI in job descriptions are primarily found in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) occupations. Indeed Hiring Lab data showed that 58 per cent of Canadian job postings that referenced GenAI in January 2025 were in these fields, even though STEM jobs accounted for only six per cent of total postings.
Mathematics roles had the highest proportion of GenAI mentions, with over six per cent of postings – including those for data scientists – containing at least one GenAI-related keyword. Software development followed at 3.4 per cent, while scientific research and development and information design also showed elevated mentions at two per cent and 1.1 per cent, respectively.
"Math job postings also happen to have the highest proportion of skills deemed to be possibly or likely replaceable at the moment by GenAI," Indeed Hiring Lab found. The findings suggest that industries deeply involved in AI development or reliant on data analysis are more likely to integrate the technology into their hiring criteria.
Meanwhile, despite GenAI’s potential applications in analytical and administrative roles, mentions of the technology remain scarce in many white-collar job postings.
Fields such as accounting, administrative assistance, and legal services have seen minimal references to GenAI, despite the overlap between the technology’s capabilities and tasks performed in these roles.
“Postings in accounting (the field with the second-highest skill replacement potential), administrative assistance, human resources, and legal services all mentioned GenAI less than the economy-wide average,” says Indeed.
Banking and finance ranked slightly higher, with just 0.32 per cent of postings mentioning GenAI.
A recent Indeed Hiring Lab study assessed the likelihood of different job skills being replaced by GenAI. In the study, Indeed assessed the ability of GPT-4o to perform each of the 2,800 skills in Indeed’s skill taxonomy library across three dimensions: its ability to provide theoretical knowledge about the skill; its ability to problem-solve using the skill; and the necessity of physical presence in performing the skill.
While no skills were deemed “very likely” to be replaced in the near term in that study, 69 per cent were categorized as “unlikely” or “very unlikely” to be automated. However, certain theoretical and analytical skills – commonly found in white-collar professions – were marked as “possible” or “likely” to be replaced by AI.
Should employers require candidates to have GenAI skills?
Amid the changing landscape of work, it is only logical for workers to learn GenAI skills to keep up with the evolution, says Aaron Sines, the director of talent, AI and machine learning, at technical recruiting company Razoroo, in a report from The Muse.
Sines admits that some companies are turning their budgets away from hiring talent and toward technology as an alternative solution. However, many others want humans and machines to coexist in the workplace in the hopes of offloading tedious tasks, improving productivity and leaving room for new innovations.
And this is where workers, even individuals outside traditional tech jobs, can benefit from expertise in AI.
“You’re not going to be replaced by AI, but you’ll get replaced by a person who could use AI,” says Sines, according to the report.
Over nine in 10 (92 per cent) of small- and medium-sized business (SMBs) leaders are confident in their company's growth prospects over the next three years as they intend to bank on AI and innovation, according to a previous report from KPMG.
