AI at the Forefront: What LinkedIn’s Jobs on the Rise Means for UK Tech Hiring
09 Jan, 20264 minutes
AI at the Forefront: What LinkedIn’s Jobs on the Rise Means for UK Tech Hiring
LinkedIn’s newly released Jobs on the Rise list offers a timely snapshot of how the UK job market is evolving, and it confirms what we’re seeing every day on the ground.
As AI reshapes how people apply for roles, build careers and create value at work, professionals are looking for clearer signals on where real opportunity lies. LinkedIn’s analysis of the 25 fastest-growing jobs over the past three years does exactly that, combining member growth and hiring demand to highlight where momentum is building.
From our perspective as specialist technology recruiters, several of these trends stand out, particularly the continued and accelerating demand for AI-led roles.
The Standout Roles: AI Demand Is No Longer Emerging... It’s Here
Out of LinkedIn’s top 25 fastest-growing jobs, five roles in particular have seen massive growth in demand from our clients:
AI Engineer (#1)
Head of AI (#2)
Machine Learning Researcher (#10)
Safety Engineer (#22)
Head of Product Management (#23)
These roles are no longer niche or experimental. They are becoming business-critical.
Across industries, from financial services and healthcare to construction, energy and SaaS, organisations are investing heavily in AI capability. They’re not just hiring to experiment; they’re hiring to deploy, scale and govern AI in real-world environments.
What We’re Hearing from the Market
The data aligns closely with the conversations we’re having with both clients and candidates.
At our roundtable event in Ireland at the end of last year, across multiple industry events since, and through conversations on our Diary of a CIO podcast, one theme has consistently dominated discussion: AI is now at the centre of strategic decision-making.
Leaders are asking:
- How do we embed AI responsibly?
- How do we move from proof-of-concept to production?
- How do we balance innovation with safety, regulation and product value?
That’s why demand is rising not only for hands-on technical specialists like AI Engineers and Machine Learning Researchers, but also for senior, cross-functional leaders such as Heads of AI and Heads of Product Management.
Matt Wood, Managing Consultant at Fruition gives his thoughts....
"AI is no longer the future, it’s the present. Across London, Manchester, and Leeds, we’re seeing unprecedented demand for AI talent, from hands-on engineers to strategic product leaders. Companies are racing not just to adopt AI, but to integrate it responsibly and at scale, and the competition for the best candidates has never been fiercer. To attract top talent, companies really need to think about their EVP; why should candidates join? What are the opportunities, is the project exciting, what tech will they be involved in, what impact can they have, what is the company’s goal, and what are the perks? For professionals looking to grow their careers in AI, the opportunities are enormous... but so is the need for the right skills."
UK AI Innovators: Manchester, Leeds & London
AI adoption isn’t limited to London, innovation is thriving across the UK. Here are a few examples of companies paving the way:
📍 Manchester – Driving AI Growth Outside London
- Arcube (Airline Analytics / SaaS) – AI platform for airline data revenue optimization; recently secured ~£1.2M funding to scale globally.
- NeuWave (Renewable Energy / Ocean Intelligence) – AI-driven ocean intelligence helping optimize renewable energy projects; raised strategic pre-seed funding.
- EHE Ventures (Venture Capital / AI Investment) – Manchester-based VC firm investing over £1.1 million into AI startups across health, agritech, and consumer tech.
📍 Leeds – Rising AI Hub in the North
- Build Concierge (Customer Engagement / SaaS) – AI platform automating customer engagement, recently raised significant venture capital to scale.
- Ask Bosco (Marketing Analytics / AI SaaS) – AI-driven analytics platform for reporting, forecasting, and ad-spend optimization.
- AI Accelerator Leeds (Startup Support / AI Ecosystem) – Programme providing resources and mentorship to scale AI startups across the region.
📍 London – UK’s AI Capital
- AgileRL (AI Infrastructure / Reinforcement Learning) – Raised $7.5 million seed to accelerate its reinforcement-learning platform used by global enterprises like Airbus and IBM.
- Synthera (Fintech / Financial AI) – London fintech startup using generative AI for financial risk management; secured €1.7 million in pre-seed funding.
- Unmind (Healthtech / Workplace Wellbeing AI) – Raised over €30 million to scale its AI-powered platform for mental health and wellbeing in the workplace.
Why These Five Roles Are Growing So Fast
1. AI Engineer & Machine Learning Researcher
The surge in AI Engineers and ML Researchers reflects the rapid adoption of large language models, retrieval-augmented generation and advanced deep learning techniques.
Clients are looking for people who can:
- Build and deploy production-ready AI systems
- Integrate AI into existing platforms
- Optimise models for performance, cost and governance
Competition for experienced candidates remains intense, particularly in London, Cambridge and Manchester.
2. Head of AI
The rise of the Head of AI role signals a shift from experimentation to ownership.
Organisations want senior leaders who can:
- Define AI strategy
- Align AI initiatives with commercial outcomes
- Ensure ethical, secure and compliant use of AI
This role often sits at the intersection of technology, product and executive leadership and reflects how strategically important AI has become.
3. Head of Product Management
As AI becomes embedded in products rather than layered on top, the demand for experienced product leaders has grown significantly.
Heads of Product are increasingly expected to:
- Translate AI capability into customer value
- Prioritise AI features responsibly
- Lead multidisciplinary teams across data, engineering and design
This explains why we’ve seen a sharp rise in demand in tandem with AI leadership positions.
4. Safety Engineer
The inclusion of Safety Engineer may surprise some, but it reflects a critical reality: as systems become more complex, safety and risk management become more important, not less.
From AI-enabled infrastructure to autonomous systems and advanced manufacturing, organisations need specialists who can ensure innovation doesn’t come at the expense of safety or compliance.
What This Means for Candidates and Employers
For candidates, the message is clear: AI literacy is becoming a career accelerator across a wide range of roles, not just pure AI positions. Building skills in machine learning, data, product thinking and AI governance will open doors.
For employers, the challenge is twofold:
- Competition for top talent is increasing
- The best candidates are looking for clarity, purpose and long-term impact
Those who can clearly articulate how AI fits into their strategy, and how individuals can grow with it, will be best placed to attract and retain talent.
Final Thoughts
LinkedIn’s Jobs on the Rise list is a valuable starting point, but the real insight comes from how these roles connect.
What we’re seeing is not just a rise in AI jobs, but a broader transformation of organisations around AI capability, leadership and responsibility.
From our vantage point in the UK technology recruitment market, AI serves as the common thread, and it’s firmly at the forefront of hiring decisions heading into 2026 and beyond.
If you’re building AI capability, exploring your next career move, or simply want to understand how these trends apply to your organisation, the conversation has never been more relevant.
What’s Next
And finally, keep your eyes peeled for something we’re launching very soon.
This trend is a nice confirmation (not that we needed it...) that we’re investing in exactly the right area. We’re launching something designed to add significant value to organisations navigating AI; helping them make sense of the opportunities, while also addressing the very real risks and challenges that come with adoption.
More to come very shortly.
