Business
Upwork’s In-Demand Skills 2026: Demand for Top AI Skills More Than Doubles as AI Is Embedded Into Everyday Work
Hiring data shows AI becoming part of everyday work, while demand for human expertise remains strong PALO ALTO, Calif., Feb. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
About this update from Upwork Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"Hiring data shows AI becoming part of everyday work, while demand for human expertise remains strong\nPALO ALTO, Calif., Feb. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Upwork Inc. (Nasdaq: UPWK), the world’s human and AI-powered work marketplace, today released its annual In-Demand Skills report, finding that as demand for top AI-enabled skills more than doubled year-over-year, hiring for human expertise remains strong across work categories. Now in its sixth year, the report finds that demand for the most in-demand skills on the Upwork Marketplace has remained consistently strong year over year, even in categories often assumed to be most vulnerable to automation, including coding, creative, marketing, and customer support. At the same time, the top skills explicitly tied to applying AI within existing roles grew 109% year over year. Growth is showing up across workflows, from AI video generation and editing (+329%) and AI integration (+178%), to AI data annotation and labeling (+154%) and AI chatbot development (+71%). “Our Human+Agent Productivity Index found that human-AI collaboration boosts project completion by up to 70%, even on simple tasks,” said Dr. Teng Liu, economist at Upwork. “That’s exactly what we are seeing in our latest hiring data too: AI isn’t replacing people; it’s sharpening where human expertise matters most, with businesses continuing to invest in creativity, judgment, and problem-solving alongside AI.” Key findings from the report include: Demand for in-demand skills remains stable. The most sought-after skills including full stack development, general virtual assistance, data analytics, and graphic design on the Upwork Marketplace, have remained consistently strong year over year, signaling that even as AI tools expand, businesses continue to hire human talent at scale.Growth is concentrated in applying AI within existing work. Skills that explicitly reference AI grew 109% year over year. Demand is surging across familiar creative and technical workflows, including AI video generation and editing (+329%), AI integration (+178%), and AI image generation and editing (+95%), alongside rising need for specialist work like data annotation and labeling (+154%) and AI chatbot development (+71%). Together, this shows businesses are embedding AI into established disciplines while still relying on skilled professionals for d...