US Could Face a Shortage of More Than 800,000 AI Professionals By 2028
New research suggests addressing AI talent shortages through international hiring could help support productivity growth of up to 1.5% points annually
New York, US, June 16, 2026 – one in two AI roles in the US could go unfilled by 2028 as demand for specialist AI talent continues to outpace domestic supply, according to new analysis from global talent solutions partner Robert Walters and Native Teams, the global work payments platform.
Forecasts from the Robert Walters Market Intelligence team and Native Teams suggest demand for AI professionals in the US could reach more than 1.6 million in the next three years, against an estimated domestic supply of just 787,000.
Phill Brown, Global Head of Market Intelligence at Robert Walters, says, “The US AI market is expanding at a pace that is placing extraordinary pressure on the supply of experienced talent.
“In addition to growing demand from large technology firms, businesses across financial services, healthcare, manufacturing and professional services are all accelerating investment into AI capability, creating intense competition for experienced professionals.
“What makes this different from previous technology cycles is the speed at which AI adoption is moving into core business operations. Many organisations are now competing for the same relatively small pool of experienced talent.”
Indeed, organisations across the US are continuing to invest heavily in AI technologies as they look to accelerate automation, product development and operational scale. But shortages in experienced AI talent are pushing many businesses to expand hiring beyond domestic markets to fill critical roles.
“Expanding AI hiring globally could help support US productivity growth by between 0.5 and 1.5 percentage points annually, by helping organisations scale AI capability more quickly and reduce deployment delays linked to talent shortages”, comments Jack Thorogood, Founder and CEO of Native Teams. “Many organisations are already investing in AI, but access to experienced talent is one of the main constraints on how quickly those systems can be implemented operationally.
“Companies are becoming far more comfortable building globally distributed AI teams. The supporting infrastructure behind it (global payroll, work payments, and compliance systems) has widely matured over the past few years, making global hiring far more practical at scale.
“Following this shift, businesses increasingly build teams around where specialised capability exists, rather than limiting hiring to domestic markets alone. That gives organisations faster access to critical expertise, while also allowing professionals to participate in the growing global AI demand.”
The findings form part of a wider report from Robert Walters and Native Teams exploring how global hiring corridors are reshaping workforce strategies, salary expectations and access to specialist talent across international markets.
Phill adds, “AI adoption across the US economy is moving much faster than previous technology cycles, and demand for experienced talent is rising just as quickly. How businesses respond to those talent constraints is likely to play a major role in determining the pace of AI implementation and the broader economic impact over the next decade.”
Download the full report “The New Talent Economy. How AI is reshaping global hiring corridors”.
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Methodology
The analysis used a directional scenario-modelling approach combining benchmark-based trend extrapolation with multi-source labour market triangulation. Existing AI demand and supply were used as baseline indicators, which were then extended to 2028 using historical growth patterns in AI hiring demand, talent availability, enterprise adoption, and workforce expansion trends.
Productivity impact assumptions were benchmarked against publicly available economic and institutional studies to estimate potential annual productivity gains under sustained AI adoption and workforce transformation scenarios.
About Native Teams
Native Teams is a global work payments platform designed to support both businesses and their teams. By combining payroll, compliance, and work operations, it enables companies to employ, pay, and manage teams in 95+ countries through one unified system.
From gig and contractor payments to global payroll and broader workflows, Native Teams supports the full scope of global work. It provides the structure behind every payment, ensuring compliance, reducing administrative overhead, and enabling smooth cross-border operations. Trusted by 3000+ businesses, Native Teams helps companies scale efficiently while empowering teams with financial stability and flexibility. https://nativeteams.com/
About Robert Walters
With more than 2,900 people in 29 countries, Robert Walters delivers recruitment consultancy, staffing, recruitment process outsourcing and managed services across the globe. From traditional recruitment and staffing to end-to-end talent management, our consultants are experts at matching highly skilled people to permanent, contract and interim roles across all professional disciplines. https://www.robertwalters.co.uk/