As artificial intelligence reshapes global industries, companies are prioritizing AI capabilities in hiring decisions. According to a 2024 report by Microsoft and LinkedIn, 66% of organizational leaders say they would not hire someone without AI skills. Meanwhile, 71% would choose a less experienced candidate with AI skills over a more experienced one lacking them.

The report surveyed 31,000 individuals across 31 countries.

LinkedIn Launches Metric to Track AI Talent Concentration

To monitor the global supply of AI talent, LinkedIn has introduced a new metric: “AI talent concentration.” This measurement is based on data from user profiles and includes both AI engineering skills, such as machine learning and natural language processing, and AI literacy skills, such as ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot.

2024 Rankings: Countries With the Highest AI Talent Concentration

Based on LinkedIn’s 2024 data, Israel leads the world in AI talent concentration, with 1.98% of its workforce possessing AI-related skills. Singapore ranks second with 1.64%, followed by Luxembourg at 1.44%. Estonia holds fourth place with 1.17%, while Switzerland is close behind at 1.16%. Finland ranks sixth at 1.13%, and Ireland, which climbed four positions from the previous year, now sits at seventh with 1.11%. Germany (1.09%) and the Netherlands (1.07%) occupy the eighth and ninth spots, respectively. Rounding out the list is South Korea at 1.06%, despite dropping three positions in 2024.

These figures represent each country’s supply of AI talent as a percentage of its workforce. The top six countries retained their positions from the previous year. Ireland moved up four ranks to seventh place, while South Korea fell three places to tenth.

Smaller Nations Outperform in AI Talent Development

“Many of these countries with the highest AI talent concentration—Israel, Singapore, Luxembourg, and Estonia—are relatively small in terms of population and geographical size, but they are punching above their weight in terms of developing AI talent quickly,” said Chua Pei Ying, LinkedIn’s APAC head economist.

“This may be made possible by building a thriving ecosystem where talent is nurtured—when companies are invested in their employees’ skill development and governments create policies that encourage continuous learning,” she said.

India’s AI Talent Growth Accelerates

India did not appear in the top 10, but LinkedIn reported a 252% increase in the country’s AI talent concentration from 2016 to 2024. The platform noted that Indian professionals are “actively building their AI-related skills.”

In 2024, AI hiring in India rose by 33.4% relative to overall hiring, compared to 25% in Singapore and 24.7% in the United States.

Singapore's Learning Culture Enhances Competitive Edge

“Singapore’s cultural emphasis on learning contributes to its competitive edge in this new era of AI,” said Chua.

“Our data shows that professionals in Singapore are some of the most avid learners, spending 40% more time picking up AI skills than their counterparts across APAC.”

PHOTO: FREEPIK

This article was created with AI assistance.