New technologies, like large language models and virtual/augmented reality, are reshaping the workforce in our rapidly evolving economy. This constant innovation makes predicting the future difficult, requiring those seeking economic and social advancement to be in a perpetual state of learning.
Workforce development is crucial for preparing individuals to tackle today's challenges and seize tomorrow's opportunities. The Center for Research and Evaluation at UC San Diego Extended Studies explores and analyzes workforce development to predict where companies and professionals should invest their training and education dollars. To assess the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on global and local jobs, this analysis looks both at trends in job posting data and at global and national investment in AI.
National and International Investment and Labor Market Interest
The United States leads in AI private investment with 47.36 billion dollars in 2022, almost 3.5 times greater than China, the second-highest investor1.
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1. According to an AI index report produced by Lightcast and Stanford University’s Digital Economy Lab. The AI Index Report: Measuring Trends in Artificial Intelligence, https://aiindex.stanford.edu/report/
Data from Lightcast2 demonstrates how the United States compares to similar nations in terms of AI Job Postings as a percent of total job postings. The original figure illustrated an upward trend across nations, with the United States leading in all but two years between 2014 and 2022.
The figure below shows the growth in AI skill demand as a percentage over time in the city of San Diego, where it lies in relation to the nation overall in 2022, and how it compares internationally.
In 2022, the United States was at the top of those nations compared below, with more than twice the focus on AI in job postings for 7 out of 13 nations (Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, and New Zealand). San Diego lands just below the United States in 2022, at 1.96% of postings compared to 2.05% of job postings in the U.S. as a whole, with an obvious upward trend since 2013.
2. Demand for AI Skills Continues Climbing, Elizabeth Beckett, Lightcast 2023, https://lightcast.io/resources/blog/demand-for-ai-skills-continues-climbing
AI-related skills for the above figure of San Diego included 64 in total that fall under the general subheadings of Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Natural Language Processing, Neural Networks, Autonomous Driving, Visual Image Recognition, and Robotics.
These same skill filters were used to show how AI job postings in the San Diego area have changed over the five years between 2019 and 2023. Across many industries and occupational categories, there has been a marked increase in job postings asking for AI skill sets. This is particularly true for the information, manufacturing, professional, scientific, technical services, and utilities industries.
The percentage of job postings related to AI has increased in almost all occupations in the San Diego area. Data from 2023 shows the percentages of job postings that mention AI skills for all 2-digit occupations have increased across the board since 2019, except for education and library fields, protective services, and personal care and service occupations. Percentages are flat for transportation and material moving occupations and healthcare support .
UC San Diego Extended Studies provides high-level courses and certificates in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to help seasoned professionals and students of all ages meet market needs and their professional goals. Explore courses in Deep Learning for Computer Vision & Prompt Design with ChatGPt and Midjourney and Natural Language Processing, the Machine Learning Methods Program, and Functional Safety Fundamentals for Automotive, as well as Wireless Communications Technologist for High Schoolers and Machine Learning for High Schoolers.
This report was created by the Center for Research and Evaluation (CR+E) at UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies. Advancing a mission to promote positive change in the local community and beyond through data-driven research, CR+E partners with nonprofits, community, and academic institutions to support projects centered around workforce development, education, youth services, health, and arts and culture. The team of experts employs a wide range of research methodologies and statistical techniques to assist with every stage of research design from identifying funding opportunities and grant writing to program monitoring and evaluation reporting. Learn more at extendedstudies.ucsd.edu/cre.