Indeed Report Finds AI-Exposed Software Pay Up 46% Since 2021 as Entry-Level Jobs Collapse

โดย 24/7 Wall St.·

Summary · why it matters

Advertised pay in the most AI-exposed US occupations has climbed roughly 46% since the start of 2021, compared with 25% for the least-exposed jobs, according to an Indeed Hiring Lab report published last week. The divergence is sharpest in software, where the entry-level share of job postings in AI-exposed occupations fell from 29% to 10% between 2021 and 2026 while the senior share rose from 22% to 47%, and senior advertised pay in exposed roles is up 45% since 2021 versus 28% for less-exposed senior work. Indeed's economists estimate a post-ChatGPT advertised-pay premium of around 5.7% for AI-exposed jobs, falling to roughly 2.4% after controlling for seniority, suggesting most of the premium reflects experience directing AI systems. Indeed's CEO warned Fortune that the market is stuck in a vicious cycle in which employers refuse to train juniors who could become the seniors they will later bid up, and RAND economist Carter Price has flagged the fiscal risk given that roughly two-thirds of federal revenue comes from wages and salaries. The broader labor market shows no distress signals, with unemployment at 4.1% in August 2026, initial jobless claims at 196,000 for the week ending September 12, job openings at 7.27 million in July, and average hourly earnings of $37.75 in August 2026, while information-sector value added reached $1.79 trillion in the first quarter of 2026, or 5.6% of GDP, up from 5.3% in 2022.