More Than Half of UK AI Jobs Could Remain Unfilled by 2028, New Research Warns

Growing Demand for Artificial Intelligence Skills Is Outpacing Domestic Talent Supply

Artificial intelligence is becoming deeply embedded in both everyday life and business operations across the United Kingdom. From automating administrative tasks and enhancing customer services to supporting software development and data analysis, AI is increasingly central to how organisations operate.

Yet despite the widespread adoption of AI technologies, new research suggests the UK could face a significant shortage of qualified professionals in the sector. According to findings from recruitment specialist Robert Walters and global employment platform Native Teams, more than half of AI-related roles in the UK may remain unfilled by 2028.

The report highlights a widening gap between the demand for advanced AI expertise and the number of suitably skilled professionals entering the workforce.

Key Findings From the Research

UK Among the World’s Largest Consumers of Global Talent

The study examined global hiring patterns and identified ten major “origin markets” that account for 66.5% of worldwide hiring activity. These include the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, India, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Australia, Canada and the United Arab Emirates.

Among the report’s most notable findings:

• The ten leading hiring markets account for 66.5% of global recruitment activity.
• Nearly 48.9% of worldwide hiring flows through these countries.
• Around 40.9% of global talent movement takes place within Europe.
• Approximately 40% of roles are senior or leadership positions.
• Employers in all ten major markets recruit from locations that can provide cost savings of up to 68%.
• The UK is the second-largest consumer of global talent, behind only the United States.

These figures underline the UK’s growing reliance on international recruitment, particularly in specialist technology fields.

Why the UK Faces an AI Skills Shortage

Businesses Need Advanced Expertise, Not Just Everyday AI Users

The report argues that while many UK employees are becoming familiar with AI tools, there is a shortage of professionals with expertise in advanced disciplines such as machine learning, AI infrastructure, model deployment and large-scale systems development.

As organisations increase investment in AI technologies, demand is rising for workers who can design, deploy and manage sophisticated AI systems rather than simply use AI-powered applications.

According to the research, UK employers are expected to require around 300,000 AI professionals by 2028. However, the domestic workforce is projected to supply only around 138,000 qualified specialists during the same period.

That leaves a substantial shortfall that businesses may struggle to fill through local recruitment alone.

Economic Impact Could Be Significant

Phill Brown, Global Head of Market Intelligence at Robert Walters, said the growing mismatch between demand and supply could become a major challenge for advanced economies.

“The scale of projected demand for AI talent is expected to significantly outpace domestic supply growth in many advanced economies, including the UK.

“Historically, major advances in technology only translated into meaningful productivity growth once organisations had the workforce capability to implement them at scale. The same dynamic is now emerging with AI, where access to experienced talent will play a defining role in how quickly businesses can convert investment into measurable economic output.”

For UK businesses seeking to improve productivity and competitiveness, access to skilled AI professionals may become as important as access to the technology itself.

The AI Roles Proving Hardest to Fill

Demand Concentrated in Specialist Technical Positions

According to Robert Walters and Native Teams, the most difficult AI-related roles to recruit for currently include:

AI and Machine Learning Engineers

Professionals responsible for developing and training AI models remain among the most sought-after candidates.

Cybersecurity Specialists

As AI systems become more widespread, organisations require specialists who can protect data, infrastructure and automated systems from emerging threats.

Cloud and DevOps Developers

Businesses increasingly need experts capable of deploying and managing AI workloads in cloud environments.

Data Engineers

The success of AI systems depends heavily on high-quality data, making experienced data engineers critical to implementation efforts.

The report suggests employers are increasingly turning to international recruitment markets to fill these specialist vacancies.

Global Hiring Becoming a Strategic Necessity

International Talent May Be Essential for Growth

The research indicates that global recruitment is no longer simply an option for UK businesses—it is becoming a strategic requirement.

Jack Thorogood, Chief Executive of Native Teams, said many organisations are already investing heavily in AI but remain constrained by talent shortages.

“Many businesses in the UK are already investing in AI, but access to experienced talent is one of the main constraints on how quickly those systems can be implemented operationally.”

He added that expanding recruitment beyond domestic labour markets could boost productivity growth while helping businesses deploy AI solutions more quickly.

Thorogood also noted that improvements in international payroll, compliance and workforce management systems have made cross-border hiring significantly easier than in previous years.

Conclusion

The findings suggest the UK’s ambition to become a global leader in artificial intelligence may be hindered by a shortage of highly skilled professionals. While AI adoption continues to accelerate across industries, the supply of workers with advanced technical expertise is not keeping pace.

Unless domestic training and skills development improve significantly, many UK organisations are likely to rely increasingly on international talent to fill critical AI positions. For businesses looking to remain competitive in an AI-driven economy, access to global talent pools may become just as important as investment in the technology itself.