The global conversation around careers in Tech & AI is all about transformation. Artificial intelligence is reshaping industries, redefining skills, and changing what growth looks like across roles and seniority levels. At the same time, progress toward gender parity in the workforce remains uneven. For women in Tech & AI, 2026 represents both a challenge and a strategic opportunity.

The Big Picture: Tech & AI Overview

As we previously explored in our analysis on embracing AI and mitigating risk in recruitment, organisations are not only adopting AI tools, but also rethinking how talent is assessed, hired and developed in AI-powered environments.

According to PwC’s 2025 AI Jobs Barometer, 100% of industries (including traditionally low-tech sectors such as mining and agriculture) are increasing their use of AI. Sectors most exposed to AI are seeing three times higher revenue growth per employee compared to less AI-exposed sectors.

The pace of transformation is intense. PwC also reports that the skills required in AI-exposed jobs are changing 66% faster than in other occupations. This means that professionals in Tech & AI must continuously adapt to remain competitive. Compensation trends reflect this shift as well. In 2024, workers with AI-related skills commanded an average 56% wage premium, up from 25% last year. AI capability is becoming a core driver of economic value.

McKinsey’s State of AI reinforces that many organisations are still in the experimentation phase, and one-third have begun scaling AI across the enterprise. The most successful implementations are led by senior executives who actively champion AI integration across marketing, sales, strategy, finance, and product development. As AI becomes integrated into core business processes, demand is growing not only for engineers, but also for professionals who can lead, translate, and operationalise AI at scale.

Women in Tech & AI: Progress and Gaps

The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2025 finds that 68.8% of the global gender gap has been closed. However, progress in economic participation and opportunity remains slower, with only around 61% closed, and at the current pace, full global parity is projected to take approximately 123 years.

This matters deeply in the context of careers in Tech and AI. High-growth, high-wage sectors shape long-term economic mobility, and when women are underrepresented in emerging technologies and leadership pipelines, economic inequality risks widening over time.

At the same time, PwC’s AI Jobs Barometer reveals an important distinction: in every country analysed, a higher proportion of women than men work in AI-exposed roles, which are the most affected by AI-driven transformation. This creates both risk and opportunity:

• The risk lies in rapid skill obsolescence. With AI-related skills evolving 66% faster than average, those without structured upskilling pathways may face stagnation.
• The opportunity lies in positioning. As AI continues to scale, women who intentionally build AI literacy, cross-functional expertise and leadership capability can capture career growth.

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Careers in Tech & AI: Market Realities with Expert Advice

1. AI fluency is becoming a standard.

The wage premium of 56% for AI-skilled professionals signals that employers value an applied understanding of AI tools and systems. This does not mean every professional must code machine learning models. It does mean understanding how AI affects workflows, decision-making and productivity within your role.

• Expert Advice: Start by identifying how AI is already influencing your role and quantify it. In interviews and on your CV, don’t just say you "used AI tools", explain how they improved efficiency, reduced time, or supported better decision-making.

2. Strategic cross-functional expertise is becoming a competitive advantage.

As McKinsey highlights continued enterprise integration of AI, companies need professionals who can bridge technical capabilities with business strategy. Product leaders, marketing specialists, operations managers and cybersecurity professionals who understand AI implications are increasingly central to organisational performance.

• Expert Advice: If you want to stand out, position yourself as someone who understands both the technical context and the business objective. Volunteer for cross-functional projects and practice articulating how your work contributes to revenue, growth, or operational efficiency: that’s what moves you into leadership conversations.

3. Adaptability is the new job security.

With skills changing 66% faster in AI-exposed roles, continuous learning, strategic exposure to AI-driven projects, and visible contribution to innovation initiatives differentiate professionals who progress from those who don't.

• Expert Advice: Instead of trying to learn everything, choose one skill each quarter that strengthens your profile strategically. Employers don’t expect perfection: they look for evidence of intentional development.

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Moving forward with Clarity

The future of careers in Tech & AI for women will not be defined solely by technological advancement, but by who is prepared to lead within it. The data from PwC, McKinsey and the World Economic Forum converge on one conclusion: AI is accelerating growth, increasing value for skilled professionals, and intensifying the need for strategic positioning. At the same time, economic gender gaps remind us that progress requires action.

For women building careers in Tech & AI, this moment demands clarity, confidence and informed decision-making. At OLLMOO, our career coaching supports women navigating these shifts from refining CVs and preparing for competitive interviews to finally negotiating and landing the offer.

If you are building your career path in Tech and want tailored support aligned with the AI-powered job market, explore our career coaching programmes and take your next strategic step forward.

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