Global job marketplace Upwork is pushing back on the narrative that AI is replacing jobs based on data from its new study.
In its In-Demand Skills 2026: A Market View of Skills Demand in an AI Economy report, Upwork says demand for core human skills has remained steady year over year, undermining fears that AI is rapidly replacing workers across the economy.
Upwork says it drew data from its marketplace and freelancer earnings across six work categories from January 1st, 2025, to December 31st, 2025, with demand originating in the United States. The firm finds that the most in-demand skills on its platform have barely changed.
Full-stack development, virtual assistance, data analytics, and graphic design all remain among the most sought-after categories, signaling that businesses continue to rely on human talent to get work done.
But Upwork notes that what has changed is how the work is performed.
The report finds that skills explicitly tied to AI surged 109% year over year, with the fastest growth concentrated in applying AI within existing roles rather than creating entirely new ones. Demand jumped 329% for AI video generation and editing, 178% for AI integration, and 95% for AI image generation and editing. More specialized tasks also saw sharp increases, including data annotation and labeling, up 154%, and AI chatbot development, up 71%.
“Together, this shows businesses are embedding AI into established disciplines while still relying on skilled professionals for domain expertise.”
Upwork adds that nearly one in two business leaders said they are willing to pay a premium for creativity and innovation, highlighting that uniquely human capabilities remain highly valued even as AI adoption accelerates.
Rather than mass displacement, Upwork says the data points to job recomposition. Companies are still paying people to do the same core work across accounting, recruiting, development, design, marketing and operations. What’s changing is the toolset, not the need for human workers.
Upwork says the shift through the lens of sociomateriality, the idea that technology’s impact depends on how it is used within human systems. While AI can perform many tasks in isolation, real workplaces are complex environments where context, judgment and collaboration matter.
“AI is often framed as a force that unilaterally reshapes work, but its real impact is inseparable from the people who use it, the organizations that deploy it, and the policies that govern it.”
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