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Artificial intelligence roles have surged to the top of LinkedIn’s fastest-growing jobs in Australia, with the professional network declaring “Ai Engineer” the most in-demand job title of 2026.
The annual Jobs on the Rise list tracks roles that have grown most quickly over the past three years based on LinkedIn’s internal data. It marks a clear shift toward Ai-driven transformation across sectors and signals changing employer expectations in both technical and leadership roles.
Ai Skills Move Into Mainstream Roles
According to LinkedIn, Ai is no longer confined to specialised teams or pilot programs.
“Whether you’re in tech, business or creative industries, building Ai literacy and staying open to new skills will be key to future-proofing your career,” said Brendan Wong, LinkedIn Career Expert.
Wong said the 2026 list reflects how fast the job market is shifting, and how core Ai has become to both day-to-day work and strategic leadership.
“The most successful professionals will be those who combine technical know-how with adaptability and a willingness to learn,” he said.
Top-ranked roles this year include Ai Engineer, Director of Artificial Intelligence and Chief Risk Officer. The rise of these jobs aligns with broader hiring trends: eight in ten global business leaders now say they are more likely to hire someone comfortable using Ai tools than a more experienced candidate without Ai fluency.
In Australia, the number of executives adding Ai-related capabilities such as prompt engineering to their LinkedIn profiles has grown 4.7 times since 2024.
Entrepreneurs Leverage Ai To Start New Businesses
Ai is also playing a role in accelerating entrepreneurship, with “Founder” appearing seventh on the list. According to LinkedIn’s data, there was a 58 per cent increase in Aussie professionals adding “founder” to their profile between July 2024 and July 2025.
That marks more than a threefold rise since 2022.
“More than three in ten professionals say Ai has increased their likelihood of starting a business,” LinkedIn stated, pointing to the levelling effect of generative Ai tools on marketing, product development and back-office operations.
Small and medium-sized businesses are seeing stronger headcount growth than larger firms. SMB hiring rose 5 per cent year-on-year, while companies with more than 1,000 employees saw a 3 per cent decline over the same period.
Regulatory And Technical Skills See Uptick
Legal, compliance and regulatory-focused roles also featured prominently in the 2026 list, including Legal Director, Chief Risk Officer and Regulatory Affairs Consultant.
These titles reflect heightened regulatory pressure in areas such as Ai governance, ESG reporting and cross-border data handling.
Technical infrastructure remains another focus, with Mechanical Engineer and Power System Engineer both ranking highly. These roles are being driven by public and private sector investments in renewable energy, battery storage and infrastructure resilience.
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Mental health, workplace safety and digital media also feature, with Psychotherapist, Head of Environment Health and Safety, and Media Director all cracking the top 15.
Australia’s Top 15 Jobs On The Rise
- Ai Engineer – Building and maintaining systems that use Ai for data analysis, pattern recognition and prediction
- Chief Risk Officer – Managing regulatory, cyber and operational risk at board level
- Mechanical Engineer – Supporting Australia’s energy and infrastructure projects
- Director of Artificial Intelligence – Leading enterprise-wide Ai strategy and governance
- Organisational Development Manager – Driving change management and process redesign
- Legal Director – Managing legal compliance, contracts and high-value transactions
- Founder – Launching new ventures in Ai, health tech, climate and services
- Media Director – Leading digital media strategies and content distribution
- Regulatory Affairs Consultant – Navigating changing regulatory requirements
- Power System Engineer – Supporting power grid reliability and energy transition
- Head of Environment, Health, and Safety – Ensuring regulatory compliance and employee wellbeing
- Psychotherapist – Supporting workplace and personal mental health
- Head of Sales – Leading revenue growth through strategic sales
- Tax Specialist – Advising on international and digital tax compliance
- Strategic Partnerships Manager – Building collaborative relationships with startups, universities and government
Hiring Methodology
LinkedIn’s Economic Graph team analysed millions of Aussie job changes from January 2023 to July 2025 to identify the fastest-growing job titles. Roles had to show consistent growth, reach meaningful size and have enough job postings in 2025 to qualify.
Internships, student positions and jobs dominated by a handful of companies were excluded from the ranking.
Last Updated on January 12, 2026 by Nick Ross
