4 ways AI is changing the development job market

Artificial intelligence is transforming global development roles and redefining the skills most sought after by recruiters and hiring teams. For professionals navigating this shift in an already competitive job market, it’s critical to understand how AI is shaping hiring and workplace expectations. The global AI recruitment market is expected to exceed $1.1 billion by 2030, said Jack Jarrett, a human resources and talent consultant. For development professionals, this signals a growing demand for people who can interpret AI outputs and apply these for real-world impact, he added. According to Dr. Alok I. Ranjan, a global development career coach and AI generalist, “Development now needs bridge professionals; those who can connect technology, policy, and empathy.” He believes that success will favor those who ensure technology amplifies, rather than replaces, core development values. With many organizations already experimenting with automation tools for recruitment, monitoring, and data analysis, employers are increasingly looking for related skillsets, including people who can use AI in a collaborative way. Devex spoke with a range of experts on how this shift is reshaping career paths and the skills that will define the next decade of global development professionals, and found several key trends. 1. AI is making learning agility a top priority The development world is shifting fast, and those who adapt early gain a clear edge, Ranjan said, adding that success is no longer about knowing everything. Employers care less about “static expertise,” and more about “learning faster than the system changes,” he explained. Jarret noted that the shift isn’t about replacement but augmentation of human capability — using AI to free up professionals for higher-value work. He pointed to how AI automation is assisting with repetitive data collection and analysis tasks, allowing monitoring and evaluation specialists and project managers to focus on demonstrating impact to donors and clients, and make data-driven decisions. How to adapt: Build AI literacy and foster an inquisitive mindset by experimenting with prompt tools, data interpretation and dashboards, and workflow automation. 2. There’s a crisis of authenticity among résumés and applications Jarrett noted that while AI is leveling the playing field in some ways by providing candidates who have less formal writing support with access to professional-quality documents, it’s also making applications feel increasingly formulaic. And it’s easy, he said, to spot when candidates rely too heavily on AI. This is in part due to a lack of clear guidance from employers themselves, Jarret suggested. “Not enough organizations are helping candidates understand what good versus bad use of AI looks like,” he explained, and some positions are seeing a surge in applications as AI makes this process quicker. Ranjan emphasized that AI can’t replicate an individual’s self-awareness or clarity of their impact and values — traits that can help a candidate stand out in a noisy market. “The strongest professionals I’ve coached use AI to refine their message, not replace it. Their résumés sound like humans who understand technology, not like machines trying to sound human,” he said. According to Valentina Murace, career coach and HR learning consultant at UNICEF, the key is knowing how to guide AI with thoughtful prompts and authentic inputs that reflect one’s real motivations. “AI can help you analyze a job description or refine your language,” she said, but it can’t explain why you want to do this work. For many working in the development sector, that “why” often stems from family history, community experience, or a personal story that inspired their career path, Murace said, and that is something an algorithm can’t replace. How to adapt: Treat AI as an assistant, not a replacement, and use it to clean up formatting or sharpen phrasing, but ensure your story and voice still come through. 3. AI is both democratizing access and widening the gap AI is making career development tools more accessible, but not equally. Murace sees potential in AI chatbots and learning platforms serving as on-demand mentors for young professionals in lower-income countries. AI tools are also transforming social platforms into personalized learning ecosystems, she suggested, with generative AI helping users craft posts, summarize insights, and identify skill trends across industries. “For young professionals, this can be empowering,” Murace said, allowing them to position themselves more strategically and connect with mentors or recruiters globally. Still, access to these tools remains uneven. Global development professional and gender specialist, Silvia Sartori, cautioned that AI could deepen existing inequalities for those already constrained by limited connectivity or low digital literacy. Jarrett added that premium tools and training still tend to be concentrated among wealthier organizations and candidates. How to adapt: Build confidence through the use of free tools to summarize reports or organize tasks. 4. Hybrid skills are becoming the most valuable currency AI may be transforming how the development sector operates, but it isn’t replacing the human values that drive it. As Murace put it, empathy, collaboration, and social impact remain essential. However, professionals will need to express and apply these qualities in new, tech-enabled ways. The future of work, she said, will belong to those who can combine technological fluency with emotional intelligence and ethical leadership. Jarrett said the sector urgently needs “tech-savvy empathy” — people who understand how AI systems work and can communicate their use transparently to donors and partners — alongside a growing demand for ethical AI specialists who can advise on policy, guide human resources and business development teams, and ensure organizations apply AI responsibly. He suggested that AI use and bias and mitigation strategies will soon be a reporting requirement for proposals. How to adapt: Develop multidisciplinary skills that connect technology and empathy, and build competencies in data interpretation, ethical oversight, and AI policy awareness.