Women Represent 26% of New AI Hires in the U.S.

According to LinkedIn data released on August 18, 2026, women accounted for 26% of new hires in artificial intelligence (AI) roles in the U.S. last year, compared to 50% in non-AI occupations. The report highlights that AI jobs are among the fastest-growing and highest-paying positions available, yet women are underrepresented in these roles. Men secured 74% of new AI positions in 2025. The report notes that the highest-paying roles tend to have a higher percentage of male hires. For instance, in the technical role of 'member of technical staff,' 82% of new hires were men, with a median listed pay of $223,000. In contrast, the data annotator job, which has a median pay of $51,000, is more evenly split between genders. The report suggests that while the AI sector is expanding, the overall number of jobs remains a small fraction of the labor market. Sarah Steinberg, head of global public policy partnerships at LinkedIn, stated that women may be part of the AI economy but are not in roles that typically lead to economic mobility and leadership.