Gen Z Captures 69% of High-Paying Entry-Level AI Roles

The rapid adoption of generative AI is creating lucrative roles for engineers who can build models and deploy the technology inside businesses. LinkedIn’s research suggests the hiring wave is also weakening the traditional premium placed on seniority. Younger workers with current technical skills are reaching influential, customer-facing positions earlier, reshaping career ladders as employers compete for talent in AI engineering and forward-deployed engineering.

In 2025, Gen Z workers held 69% of high-paying entry-level roles including AI engineer and forward-deployed engineer, according to LinkedIn’s latest study. Millennials, meanwhile, accounted for 60% of senior management positions such as head of AI. The split points to an emerging division of labor: Gen Z is taking a leading role in technical implementation, while millennials are more often overseeing AI strategy, teams and corporate decision-making.