How to read this finding
Relative hiring growth is not absolute workforce size. The PhD comparison is a historical projection, and informal polling of compute budgets is not a representative survey.
Where was AI hiring growing in 2021?
The report highlighted Brazil and India, where the cited hiring measure was more than three times its 2017 level.
Evidence you can use
Talent in the 2021 report
Historical snapshot: October 2021. Dates and populations are specified per row.
| Measure | Reported value | Definition and source |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil and India AI hiring growth | More than 3x | Relative to each country’s 2017 level in the cited comparison.2021 report, slide 76 (PDF page 76) |
| China-US STEM PhD projection | Nearly 2x by 2025 | Projection presented in 2021; STEM is broader than AI.2021 report, slide 78 (PDF page 78) |
Relative hiring growth is not absolute workforce size. The PhD comparison is a historical projection, and informal polling of compute budgets is not a representative survey.
Sources and dates
Historical snapshot published October 12, 2021. This web edition was prepared on 2026-10-11 from the online deck and original launch posts. Findings and forecasts retain their original time frame.
- 2021 report, slide 76 (PDF page 76)Original 2021 report. Printed slide numbers match PDF pages.
- 2021 report, slide 78 (PDF page 78)Original 2021 report. Printed slide numbers match PDF pages.
- 2021 report, slide 86 (PDF page 86)Original 2021 report. Printed slide numbers match PDF pages.
- State of AI Report 2021: online slides
- Air Street Press launch essayOctober 12, 2021.
- Welcome to State of AI Report 2021Original website launch post, October 12, 2021.
Cite this page
Benaich, Nathan, and Ian Hogarth. “Where was AI hiring growing in 2021?” State of AI Report 2021. Historical report snapshot; web edition prepared 2026-10-11.