Job market for highly skilled workers remains volatile as AI redefines demand across sectors

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While the November jobs data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is delayed until December 16, a new job report shows that hiring remains turbulent and contradictory, even as layoffs have slowed. Toptal’s “High-Skilled Job Report for November 2025” found that demand for experienced technology and professional services personnel decreased month over month in November, while year-over-year demand increased slightly.

This data further cements the current hiring environment as a challenge for candidates navigating tight competition and employers struggling to fill key roles during a period of accelerated transformation. It also reveals that volatility has become the new normal, due in part to widespread AI adoption, which is prompting companies to reassess their business models, product strategies, and the types of talent they require.

Demand for Senior Remote and Hybrid Talent Slips Month to Month but Maintains Upward Trajectory

The report utilizes a scoring system that takes new job postings and advertised compensation into account, based on raw data from labor market analytics company Lightcast. The scores are based on roles that require five or more years of experience, and because Toptal is itself a remote company, the data is filtered for remote and hybrid positions whenever possible.

Month-over-month jobs data is notoriously unstable, and November 2025 was no exception, with demand for remote or hybrid technology and professional services talent with five or more years of experience falling 13% month over month but rising 2% year over year. The volatility was largely driven by the U.S. government shutdown and the Thanksgiving holiday.

However, for the general job market, which includes all professions and levels of experience, the story is reversed: November saw an increase in global job postings and a decrease in technology layoffs compared to October, while year-over-year data showed layoffs remained elevated and job postings were down.

Although the broader global job market is marked by instability, the analysis highlights distinct pockets of resilience. Highly skilled, senior-level professionals are faring better than generalists or entry-level workers: The experienced technology and professional services market continues to outperform the broader job market, which includes workers at all experience levels.

In terms of specific areas of expertise, trends in job postings and pay varied widely, with significant year-over-year increases for marketing experts (+18% YoY) and product managers (+16% YoY), for example, but large decreases for designers (-60% YoY) and information security experts (-40%YoY).

Toptal

AI Integration Is Reconfiguring Workforce Needs Across Key Sectors

What appears contradictory becomes clearer when viewed through the lens of accelerating AI adoption, according to Toptal leaders quoted in the report. AI is reshaping nearly every sector, prompting companies to reassess how they operate, what products they develop, and which capabilities they prioritize. Amid this shift, organizations are favoring leaner teams of senior professionals who have deep expertise, strong business acumen, and the ability to leverage AI.

What’s more, senior company leaders are sharpening expectations for employees to bring demonstrable value, while workers are increasingly required to operate with greater versatility, moving seamlessly between strategy, execution, and direct experimentation with emerging AI capabilities. Even fields with predictable seasonal rhythms, such as marketing, reflected shifts shaped not only by the calendar but also by macroeconomic uncertainty and heightened pressure to deliver measurable performance.

One thing is clear: There’s immense demand for professionals who can integrate strong domain knowledge, AI and data fluency, product and business insight, cross-functional collaboration, and delivery experience. These capabilities are emerging as the new baseline for top-tier talent in an AI-accelerated economy.

Major Economies See Monthly Gains in Job Postings, but Levels Remain Below Last Year’s Benchmarks

One bright spot from the data was in the broader global job market. The report calculated trends in new job postings for all positions and levels of experience, based on Indeed Hiring Lab data. The results showed small month-over-month increases in the U.S. and most other large global economies with comparable data. This stands in stark contrast to year-over-year data, which shows that all countries except Canada experienced a decline.

Toptal

Toptal

The contrast highlights the unevenness of the global recovery and the varying progress of countries as they move through different phases of workforce restructuring. Modest month-over-month gains hint at renewed hiring activity, yet the broader annual declines reflect a longer-term adjustment period as organizations evaluate which roles to expand, automate, or redesign in response to evolving AI capabilities and cost considerations.

Underlying Trends Show a Rising Premium on Expertise, Adaptability, and AI Literacy

The findings of this new report reinforce that the global labor market is not merely in flux—it is undergoing a structural reset. Month-to-month swings will continue, but the underlying direction is clear: Organizations are reallocating investment toward senior, adaptable professionals who can navigate complex environments and harness AI to drive measurable outcomes. As companies refine their operating models for 2026, the premium on domain expertise, strategic judgment, and AI-enabled execution will only grow.

For candidates and employers alike, the implication is the same. Success in the year ahead will depend on the ability to respond to volatility with precision—aligning decisions to long-term value creation rather than short-term signals. While the macro picture remains uneven, the data shows that those who can integrate advanced skills with AI fluency are best positioned to thrive in an increasingly dynamic economy.

This story was produced by Toptal and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.