These Dream Jobs Come with Intense Competition, Study Shows

These Dream Jobs Come with Intense Competition, Study Shows

According to a December 2025 report on AI career trends, Americans show the biggest interest in the AI Data Analyst positions. The study by Affordable Contractors Insurance analyzed job preferences in the US to reveal which AI careers Americans are researching and pursuing this year.

• AI Data Analyst is the most wanted AI job, with 5.2 million people looking up details about entering this field.
• The Quality Engineer position is one of the easier AI-related roles to break into, with over 5K job openings currently listed across the US.
• Deep Learning Engineers make the most money at $165K per year, though building the required expertise takes up to 7 years.

The research examined the AI job market by looking at public interest, job availability, and salaries. The study measured how many people look up each job online through Google, checked actual available positions on Glassdoor, and gathered pay information from Indeed. Together, these factors show which AI careers attract the most interest and how that compares to actual hiring activity.

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Here’s a look at the top 10 most desired AI jobs:

Job Title	Total Searches	Open Positions	Avg. Yearly Salary	Complexity
AI Data Analyst	5.2M	4	82.6K	🟡 Moderate–High
Reinforcement Learning Engineer	2.0M	3	115.9K	🔴 Very High
AI Product Manager	1.1M	70	159.4K	🔴 Very High
Deep Learning Engineer	280K	18	164.6K	🔴 Very High
AI Consultant	85K	20	86.4K	🔴 Very High
Application Security Engineer	274K	68	141.9K	🟠 High
User Researcher	255K	70	113.1K	🟡 Moderate–High
AI Researcher	717K	274	113.1K	🔴 Very High
MLOps Engineer	69K	44	87.2K	🟠 High
Quality Engineer	7.5M	5,448	86.5K	🟢 Easy–Moderate

You can access the complete research findings here.

1. AI Data Analyst

• Total searches: 5.2 million
• Average yearly salary: $83K
• Complexity: Moderate to high
• Learning path: 2 to 3.5 years

The AI Data Analyst role is the most desired AI job in America. With 5.2 million people looking up information on this field, the competition for job openings is high. The role offers a salary of $83K annually, less than other AI specialties, but the path to get there is shorter. Training typically takes 2 to 3.5 years rather than the longer timelines required for more technical positions.

2. Reinforcement Learning Engineer

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Reinforcement Learning Engineer comes in second with 2 million people searching for information about the role. The position pays $116K per year, noticeably higher than an AI Data Analyst, but getting there requires serious commitment. The learning path runs 5 to 8 years, and the complexity level is very high.

3. AI Product Manager

The AI Product Manager role is also on the list, with more than 1 million showing interest online. The position brings in $159K annually, making it one of the best-paying jobs in the AI field. The skill requirements are demanding, typically taking four to six years to develop the necessary expertise. With around 70 openings currently available, the job market for this role is still more accessible than the top two positions.

4. Deep Learning Engineer

The Deep Learning Engineer role follows next, with 280K people looking into the career. This job offers the highest salary in the entire study at $165K per year, reflecting how advanced the skills need to be. Professionals typically spend 4 to 7 years building the expertise required, and the difficulty level is very high.

5. AI Consultant

The AI Consultant role rounds out the top five. The field has been looked up by more than 80K people, with around 20 positions currently open. It offers an average salary of about $86K per year, a little lower than other top AI jobs. The role is highly complex, typically requiring four to six years of training.

Sean O’Keefe, CEO and Founder of Affordable Contractors Insurance, commented on the study:

“AI is expected to automate around 85 million jobs by 2030, but it’s also projected to create 97 million new roles during the same period. Right now, most AI positions need years of training, but that’s going to shift. We’ll see entry-level AI jobs that people can learn in a few months instead of half a decade. The technology is moving too fast, and it seems our generation will likely change careers multiple times.”