The year 2024 is undoubtedly the year of Artificial Intelligence. From news, articles, social networks, everyone is talking about AI. And with this, new needs arise in the labour market for new professionals who are responsible for designing, implementing and managing innovative technologies, all of them focused on creating intelligent systems that optimise processes and improve decision-making.
In this article we will take a closer look at which are the most in demand by companies, what knowledge they need to work in this field and the average salary they receive.
You can explore the demand in Spain for these profiles, among other digital and non-digital profiles, and the skills most in demand in the current labour market, thanks to our Employment Map.
Data scientist
Estos profesionales son los encargados de analizar grandes volúmenes de datos, identificar patrones y generar modelos predictivos; todo con el objetivo de ayudar a la toma de decisiones más sustentadas.
What skills are required?
- Python, R or Scala.
- Statistics and mathematics.
- Big Data.
- Machine learning tools such as TensorFlow, Scikit-learn or Keras.
- Data visualisation (Tableau, Power BI).
- Relational and NoSQL databases.
What is the average salary?
- 0-2 years: 18.000-30.000 € gross/year
- 2-5 years: 30.000-42.000 € gross/year
- + 5 years: 42.000-70.000 € gross/year
Machine learning engineer
These professionals are in charge of designing and developing models and algorithms that allow systems to learn from data and improve their performance autonomously. Their work is essential for areas such as automation, computer vision or natural language processing.
What skills are required?
- Python, Java or C++.
- In-depth knowledge of machine learning algorithms and neural networks.
- Frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch and Keras.
- Knowledge to implement and optimise models in the cloud (AWS, Google Cloud, Azure).
What is the average salary?
- 0-2 years: 21.000-33.000 € gross/year
- 2-5 years: €33,000-46,000 gross/year
- + 5 years: 46.000-65.000 € gross/year
AI engineer
The AI engineer is responsible for the design, development and deployment of applications that integrate AI models. The role can range from the development of chatbots to computer vision systems.
What skills are required?
- Python, Java or C++.
- Natural language processing (NLP) and computer vision (Computer Vision).
- Cloud computing and containers (Docker, Kubernetes).
- Agile and DevOps methodologies.
- Integration of AI with existing systems.
What is the average salary?
- 0-2 years: 20.000-30.000 € gross/year
- 2-5 years: 30.000-42.000 € gross/year
- + 5 years: 42.000-85.000 € gross/year
Data engineer
They create and maintain the infrastructures needed to store, organise and process large volumes of data. Their work is key to facilitating the work of data scientists and other AI experts by providing the right tools to make informed decisions based on accurate and up-to-date data.
What skills are required?
- Knowledge of databases (SQL, NoSQL).
- Experience in handling big data (Hadoop, Spark).
- Programming in Python, Java or Scala.
- Knowledge of cloud data architectures.
- Skills in data pipeline automation.
What is the average salary?
- 0-2 years: 18.000-29.000 € gross/year
- 2-5 years: €29,000-40,000 gross/year
- + 5 years: 40.000-56.000 € gross/year
Specialist in natural language processing (NLP)
This field focuses on the interaction between computers and human language. NLP specialists develop systems capable of interpreting and generating language in a way that seems natural to humans.
What skills are required?
- Text processing and speech recognition algorithms.
- Language models (BERT, GPT, etc.).
- Python and libraries such as SpaCy or NLTK.
- Deep learning for NLP.
What is the average salary?
- 0-2 years: 35.000-60.000 € gross/year.
- 2-5 years: 60.000-80.000 € gross/year
- 5+ years: €80,000-110,000 gross/year
As AI continues to evolve, these roles will continue to be essential for the development of new applications and tools and it is more necessary than ever to keep learning to adapt to the jobs of the future.
