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Skills employers ask for in data and AI jobs in software

In 7,169 data and AI jobs in software in the SkillDrift job index, the most requested skill is Python, named in 53.4% of postings. SQL follows at 49.4%, then Machine learning at 30.6%.

Based on 7,169 job postings in the SkillDrift job index, read on 1 October 2026.

Most requested

The 8 skills named most often

Each share is the part of all data and AI jobs in software that name the skill. One posting usually names several skills, so the shares add up to more than 100%.

  1. 1Python53.4%3,825 of 7,169 postings
  2. 2SQL49.4%3,542 of 7,169 postings
  3. 3Machine learning30.6%2,197 of 7,169 postings
  4. 4Data analysis26.3%1,887 of 7,169 postings
  5. 5Data visualization19.5%1,401 of 7,169 postings
  6. 6Power BI19.2%1,377 of 7,169 postings
  7. 7Data modeling13.8%987 of 7,169 postings
  8. 8pandas12.3%879 of 7,169 postings

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How to read this

Where these numbers come from

The SkillDrift job index collects live job postings and reads the skills each one asks for. This page counts the postings in the data and AI role group within the software industry, and shows the share that name each skill. Skills appear as employers write them, so close variants such as Excel and MS Excel can both appear, because a posting may use either. The page is refreshed from the index, and the date above shows the last read.

FAQ

Questions people ask

What is the most requested skill in data and AI jobs in software?

Python. It is named in 53.4% of the 7,169 data and AI jobs in software in the SkillDrift job index on 1 October 2026.

How many job postings is this based on?

7,169 postings, read from the SkillDrift job index on 1 October 2026. Each share is the number of postings that name the skill, divided by all postings in this group.

Further reading

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