NYC AI Job Postings Grow 2.7-Fold to More Than 55,000
NYC AI job postings grew 2.7-fold to more than 55,000, according to a new Tech:NYC and Accenture report.
Tech:NYC and Accenture’s annual report finds that New York City job postings seeking AI or machine learning skills grew 2.7-fold between the first half of 2025 and the first half of 2026, from roughly 20,600 to more than 55,000. The research examines AI’s effects on jobs, businesses, the startup ecosystem and governance across the city. It found that 94% of executives are testing, piloting or scaling AI, while only 9% identify job elimination as a leading AI challenge. The report draws on a survey of 500 C-suite leaders across 20 industries at organizations with annual revenues exceeding $50 million and operations in NYC.
AI Hiring Signals
AI skills appear in nearly 14% of NYC job postings, up from 1% in 2016 and more than twice the national share of 6%. Among NYC’s top 100 hiring companies, the share of entry-level postings open to workers with a high school diploma rose from 35% in 2022 to 43% in 2026. The report found that 79% of executives expect AI to increase entry-level hiring or remain stable as job responsibilities and desirable employee skills evolve.
Julie Samuels, President & CEO of Tech:NYC, said:
“New Yorkers have questions about what AI will mean for their jobs and their future. No single report can answer all of them, but our latest research with Accenture helps us understand where things stand. AI job postings in New York nearly tripled in a year, and most executives expect AI to create more opportunity than it takes away. Those are encouraging signs and a strong foundation to build on as we help more New Yorkers benefit from AI. We’re ready to work with city and state leaders to make sure that opportunity reaches more New Yorkers.”
Business Adoption Expands
Nearly half of executives, 46%, said their organizations are scaling AI tools and use cases that have demonstrated measurable value. Productivity, cited by 52%, and improved employee experience, cited by 49%, were the leading benefits executives associated with AI, while cost savings ranked last at 21%. The report also found that 88% of executives say AI will strengthen NYC’s long-term competitiveness as a global business hub.
John Izzett, Office Managing Director, New York Metro at Accenture, said:
“The city’s edge is its range of industries, from finance to healthcare and everything in between, applying AI inside the businesses that already anchor its economy. Holding that lead means business leaders stepping forward alongside government and academia to shape what comes next.”
A Broad AI Ecosystem
New York City is home to more than 2,000 venture-backed AI companies that have raised $78.5 billion and employ roughly 187,000 people, according to CB Insights research cited in the report. The city has 74 AI unicorns, second only to San Francisco and nearly three times Boston. The NYC Emerging AI 50 added roughly 2,450 jobs over the past year, a 44% increase in headcount.
The report recommends that business leaders take part in cross-sector conversations with government, academia and industry peers, prepare workers for roles combining AI fluency with domain expertise, communication and judgment, and treat governance as a discipline and source of value.
