In the first half of 2026, the number of job vacancies requiring artificial intelligence skills increased by 37% compared to the same period in 2025. Data from Avito Rabota and the chad marketplace indicates that AI proficiency is becoming a significant driver for higher salaries across various professional sectors.
The marketing, advertising, and PR sectors show the largest pay gap, with candidates skilled in AI offered an average of 105,917 ₽ per month, compared to 60,258 ₽ for those without such skills. Similar trends appear in law, where salaries reach 80,000 ₽ versus 60,538 ₽, and in insurance, where AI skills provide a 20% premium, raising offers to 70,000 ₽.
Demand for AI skills is rising rapidly in the digital sector, particularly for graphic designers, whose requirements grew by 104%. Other roles seeing increased demand include marketplace managers at 84%, content managers at 43%, and SMM specialists at 42%. User behavior on the chad platform has shifted toward specific tasks like image generation and document preparation.
AI requirements are expanding beyond the digital industry. Surveys show that 31% of service and agriculture workers, 30% in transport and logistics, 28% in retail and sales, and 23% in manufacturing have encountered AI-related job requirements. Geographic data highlights Ufa and Kazan as leading regions for these requirements, followed by Moscow, Krasnodar, Voronezh, and Saint Petersburg.
