While many global banks are scaling back headcount, AI-specific roles are surging, with a 13% increase in AI hiring over the past six months, according to new data from AI benchmarking platform Evident. One in every 50 banking employees now works in an AI-focused position—highlighting the growing strategic importance of artificial intelligence across the financial sector.
Despite ongoing layoffs in traditional roles, banks are hiring across all AI capability areas. Over the last six months:
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AI development roles grew by 6%
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Data engineering jumped 14%
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AI software implementation surged by 42%—though from a smaller base
JPMorgan Chase leads as the largest AI employer in banking, followed by Wells Fargo, Citi, Bank of America, and Capital One. European banks UBS, BNP Paribas, BBVA, HSBC, and Barclays also appear in the top 10.
Notably, CommBank, BNY Mellon, TD Bank, and Lloyds Banking Group are expanding their AI teams by more than 21%, signaling a strong push to close the gap with industry frontrunners.
This investment appears to be translating into impact: top AI employers disclose twice as many use cases and are 1.5x more likely to report ROI on their AI initiatives.
“Our data suggests that AI roles may be the only safe jobs in banking right now,” says Evident CEO Alexandra Mousavizadeh. “Away from the market noise and volatility, the leading banks are quietly but relentlessly pressing forward with AI transformation.”