AI and data salaries climb by up to 20% amid rising demand for specialist technology skills

• Michael Page launches its 2027 Salary Guides, revealing the marketing roles and skills businesses are hiring for, and where salaries are rising fastest.
• Salaries are rising selectively for the technology skills in greatest demand. 
• AI and data literacy rise to the top of the skills list, while creativity, communication and analytical thinking no longer feature in the top five. 
• AI consultancy commands the highest day rates in the technology interim market.

21 September 2026, London – Michael Page has released its 2027 Salary Guides, offering insight into UK technology hiring trends, the roles and skills in demand, and what technology professionals are looking for in their next move.

The guides identify two distinct trends: the skills businesses are hiring for, and what employers are prepared to pay for them.

What businesses are hiring for

The skills technology businesses are seeking have shifted markedly in last twelve months. AI literacy and data literacy now lead the list, alongside stakeholder management, while creativity, communication and analytical thinking no longer feature. The change reflects a market moving from AI experimentation to AI application, with employers increasingly looking for people who can work confidently with AI and data as part of their day-to-day roles.

Most in-demand technology roles

Most in-demand technology skills

James Barrett, UK Practice Director, Technology at Michael Page, says: “Applied AI skills are driving movement in the market. The people who can take AI from experimentation to secure, scalable production - AI engineers, data architects and cyber specialists - are commanding a meaningful premium. The value lies not in generic AI awareness, but in combining deep technical capability with governance, data and real-world delivery.

“Over the next 12 months we expect to see growing demand for the AI Transformation Lead: not another strategist talking about AI, but someone who can identify viable use cases, redesign workflows, manage the risks and drive adoption.”

What employers are paying for

The Salary Guides also point to rising pay for a small group of roles, with the top of the range moving while starting salaries hold steady. In London, the highest salary on offer for an AI or Data Architect has risen by around 20% year-on-year, for a Head of AI by around 11%, and for a Machine Learning or AI Engineer by around 8%. Cyber security and software development salaries have held steadier by comparison.

The same pattern appears in the interim market, where AI consultancy commands the highest day rates according to the Salary Guide: around 9% above data architecture, 24% above cloud architecture and 16% above programme management.

Barrett continues: “Businesses are investing in the skills that modernise core technology and deliver measurable value. Employers are using permanent and interim hiring together as part of the same workforce plan, with interim often the fastest route to expertise while the permanent team is built alongside it.

“That’s what makes benchmarking so valuable. In the roles where pay is moving fastest - where shortages are most acute - the market rate is hard for any single employer to establish alone, precisely because so few comparable hires are being made. Reliable benchmarking data is what turns that guesswork into an informed decision.”     

Securing scarce expertise

Just 38% of technology professionals are actively looking for a new role, well below the 50% national average, and 59% of technology hiring managers cite limited availability of skilled candidates as one of their biggest barriers to hiring.

Barrett adds: “Candidates in high-demand areas know their value and they’re negotiating the whole proposition: pay, flexibility, progression, and the quality of the work. Employers are responding with more creative packages, from flexible hours and additional leave to AI training and accelerated development pathways. Many are redesigning roles around skills rather than perfect experience.

“The most useful thing businesses can do is define the problem before writing the job description. There’s a real opportunity to focus on the outcome a role needs to deliver, rather than a long list of technologies. Greater clarity on priorities, pay and what good looks like would open the market considerably.”

For businesses looking to unlock further hiring insights, the Michael Page 2027 Salary Guides can be downloaded here.

ENDS

METHODOLOGY

Salary Guides 2027

Michael Page’s Salary Guides analyse thousands of placements and conversations with hiring managers and professionals across 19 specialisms in the UK to generate data on sector-specific recruitment trends, popular roles, and in-demand skills. The resulting insights on UK salary and skills trends are designed to help employers shape hiring strategies for 2027.

All Salary Guides ‘Market sentiment’ data, unless otherwise stated, is from an online survey conducted by Michael Page and UNLIMITED (now part of Accenture Song). 

Year-on-year salary changes are calculated on the median of each published range.

About Michael Page

Michael Page is a global recruitment consultancy operating in 34 markets with more than 6,000 employees worldwide. Founded in London in 1976, Michael Page plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

Michael Page offers specialist expertise across professional recruitment, executive search and advisory, and scaled recruitment and outsourcing. Page Executive operates as the executive search and leadership advisory service within the Michael Page business.

In the UK, Michael Page operates nationwide, providing local knowledge backed by the strength and reach of our global network.

Powered by world-class tools and technology and a strong commitment to quality and partnership, Michael Page connects people and businesses with talent that makes a difference.