WhatsInDemand / will AI replace…
Will AI replace data engineers?
Based on live job postings — updated September 2026
Not yet — employers aren't cutting data engineers. They're asking them to use AI.
There are 673 live data engineers openings right now. Across the roughly 3,300 fast-growing companies we track, 50% of current data engineers openings now ask for AI skills. The work is changing, not going away.
673live openings
50%ask for AI skills
19%remote
364companies hiring
What AI is actually changing
AI shows up directly in these openings: Artificial Intelligence. That is the part of the job changing fastest.
Employers still ask most for: Python, SQL, Data Engineering, Communication, AWS, Spark — the parts of the work people are hired to own.
Who's hiring right now
| Company | Open roles |
|---|---|
| Exadel | 19 |
| WPP | 12 |
| Artefact | 12 |
| WPP Media | 11 |
| Encora | 9 |
| Roku | 8 |
See the full Data Engineer data page →