In 2025, two abilities with the fastest growth potential could escalate your income by an impressive 47%!
In 2024, job listings referring to GenAI (generative AI) experienced a fourfold surge, while close to half of non-job seekers acknowledged the importance of AI upskilling, as suggested by research disseminated through an email from Coursera. This study underscores the widespread acceptance of AI in the professional sphere and daily life.
Google's AI Essentials course emerged as the most sought-after offering on the platform that year, highlighting AI's indispensable role in our workplaces and daily lives. As we look to 2025, Coursera predicts that the two most rapidly expanding competencies for that year will be:
- Prompt crafting - a methodology entailing the formulation of inputs for AI tools to generate optimal outputs, as defined by McKinsey & Company.
- Practical application of generative AI - the ability to employ GenAI tools in real-world settings, contingent upon the specific context at hand.
Researchers at the online learning platform analyzed skills and enrollment data from 2023 and 2024 to forecast trends for the upcoming year.
Notably, these two skills are both AI-related and, moreover, a report from Indeed reveals that they can lead to an increment in salary by approximately 47% (the average salary for an individual with generative AI competencies is $174,727).
To provide a clear depiction and put this data into perspective, this means that if your yearly income was $80,000, adding AI skills such as prompt engineering and applied generative AI could potentially increase your salary to as much as $117,600 a year.
This is a substantial increase in salary. But why would organizations offer such extravagant remunerations for AI-skilled personnel?
An AWS report published in December 2023 helps to elucidate why organizations are adopting this approach. According to their survey of 3,297 American employees and 1,340 U.S. organizations across various sectors, their findings indicated that:
- An estimated 92% of U.S. organizations stated their intention to implement AI-based solutions by 2028.
- The implementation of these solutions is already underway, and it is positively impacting hiring decisions.
- The departments that stand to derive the most benefits from AI integration are IT (92%), sales and marketing (85%), and human resources (78%).
- The principal areas of focus for employers with regards to AI usage and its benefits for their organizations include automating tasks, aiding employees in learning new skills more effectively, boosting communication, and optimizing workflows.
- However, there is an AI skills shortage, which is generating the demand and mounting salaries. Regardless of the swift advancement of AI, the professionals needed to realize these advancements are hard to come by. In fact, three out of four employers admit that they prioritize the hiring of AI talent, despite the challenge of finding suitable candidates.
- Consequently, employers tend to hire individuals with lesser experience but equipped with AI skills, rather than select individuals with more experience but no AI skills, as per Microsoft's Work Trend Index for 2024.
To conclude, employees should consider prioritizing their learning and professional growth choices for 2025, focusing on AI skills - particularly prompt engineering and applied AI. Investing time and resources in expanding your knowledge can enhance your effectiveness in your current role, possibly lead to a promotion, and provide more job opportunities. The encouraging news is that there are numerous free AI courses (and reasonably priced ones too) available online for self-study at your own pace. You could even propose this as part of your performance plan to your employer for added accountability. Make 2025 the year you amplify your salary and acquire skills for future employment.
In the prediction for 2025, Coursera identified prompt crafting and the practical application of generative AI as the two fastest-growing competencies, with a potential salary increase of 47% for individuals with generative AI skills. This significant boost in income is attributed to the high demand for AI talent due to the ongoing AI skills shortage, as revealed by an AWS report.
With 92% of U.S. organizations intending to implement AI-based solutions by 2028, employers are prioritizing the hiring of AI-skilled personnel, even if they have less work experience, according to Microsoft's Work Trend Index for 2024. This trend highlights the importance of individuals investing in AI skills such as prompt engineering and applied AI, as it can enhance their professional growth, potential for promotion, and job opportunities.
