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IT skill · Domain· AI & Machine Learning

Generative AI freelancers:
What the market really pays and wants.

Demand and trends for Generative AI – calculated from 119 real project and job postings of the last 90 days. No survey, no guesswork without data.

As of: week 41/2026 · updated weekly
Listings (90 d)
119
Rank 139 of 531 skills
Trend (90 d)
▲ 58 %
Market share compared with the 90 days before. IT postings overall: ▲ 42 %
Of which must-have
50 %
Rated for 119 postings (AI analysis), otherwise “nice to have”
Remote possible
94 %
38 % fully remote · stated in 83 % of postings
The jury's verdict on Generative AI

Growing, but still small.

Generative AI sits at rank 139 of 531, in the solid middle of demand. Its market share is rising (▲ 58 % vs. the 90 days before).

Solid demandRank 139 of 531 skills, 119 postings in 90 days.
Growing marketMarket share ▲ 58 % vs. the 90 days before.
Remote possible94 % of postings allow remote work.
And how does your Generative AI profile look?Check it for free

What is Generative AI – and why do companies hire Generative AI freelancers?

The postings that mention Generative AI fall into these types of project (share of the classified postings):

Data and AI51 %
Data platforms, analytics and AI solutions with Generative AI.
Consulting and design32 %
Consulting, concept work, architecture and project leadership around Generative AI.
New development14 %
Building new applications, platforms and products with Generative AI.

Typical roles

The roles hired most often are Data Scientist (32 %), Consultant (20 %), Software Architect (14 %) and Data Engineer (8 %). Of the postings that state an experience level, 79 % explicitly ask for senior profiles.

Demand over the last 12 weeks

new listings per week
W29W40
▲ 58 %
Market share vs. previous quarter
▲ 125 %
Postings vs. previous quarter
139 / 531
Rank among all skills

Weekly postings for Generative AI are rising: from an average of 5 to 15 per week (+190 %). Volume is developing better than the IT market overall (▲ 42 %).

Which skills Generative AI is wanted with – and which ones pay off

Python appears in 39 % of Generative AI postings.

Often named together

Python39 %(opens in new tab)LLM37 %(opens in new tab)CI/CD31 %(opens in new tab)Share of Generative AI postings that also name the skill.

Who wants Generative AI – and under which conditions

Seniority

Senior79 %
Mid-level13 %

Senior dominates (79 %). Pure junior roles are rare (1 %).

Stated in 100 % of listings

Industries

it_software39 %
banking_finance10 %
public_sector10 %
logistics9 %
telecommunications7 %

it_software leads (39 %).

Stated in 59 % of listings

Contract type

Freelance84 %
Permanent12 %
Temp agency4 %

Freelance dominates (84 %).

Stated in 100 % of listings

Workplace

Partly remote56 %
Fully remote38 %
On site6 %

Partly remote dominates (56 %). Anyone working fully remote only reaches 38 % of postings.

Stated in 83 % of listings

Regions (on site)

Berlin15 %
Frankfurt am Main12 %
Frankfurt am Main12 %
Köln10 %
Frankfurt8 %

Berlin leads (15 %).

Stated in 50 % of listings

Project language

German73 %
English27 %

German dominates (73 %).

Stated in 100 % of listings

Market dynamics: how contested is Generative AI?

Full time required81 %Share of postings stating a workload that expect full time.Basis: 42 postings with this information (35 % of all postings).

Who posts Generative AI projects

Hays AG11
mund consulting AG10
Postings of the last 90 days.

Current Generative AI projects

Frequently asked questions about Generative AI freelancing

How many Generative AI projects are there right now?

In the last 90 days, 119 projects and jobs mentioning Generative AI were posted. That is around 9 per week. The market share changed by ▲ 58 % compared with the previous quarter.

Is Generative AI still in demand for freelancers?

Generative AI ranks 139 of 531 skills.

Are Generative AI projects possible remotely?

94 % of Generative AI postings allow remote work. 38 % are fully remote.

Which skills should I learn as a Generative AI freelancer?

Python (39 %), LLM (37 %) and CI/CD (31 %) are most often required together with Generative AI. What actually pays off for your profile is shown by the free CV check.

Who posts Generative AI projects?

The 2 most active recruiters account for 18 % of all Generative AI postings of the last 90 days.

Methodology: We count IT postings of the last 90 days that mention Generative AI. Projects posted several times that are detected as duplicates count once; postings without an assignable IT category are missing, so the figures are a lower bound. The trend compares the share of all IT postings with the 90 days before and only appears with enough comparison data. We do not show figures based on fewer than 30 data points. The rating “must have” or “nice to have” comes from an AI analysis of the posting texts. Distributions only refer to postings that state the respective attribute; we state the coverage alongside. Recruiters are the posters of the listing according to the source, only above a minimum number of postings. An AI assigns the project type and role of each posting from its title, category and skills; the shares are counted postings, not estimates, and only appear with enough classified postings.

Basis: 10,565 IT listings in the window

You now know the Generative AI market.
Now let the jury judge your profile.

Your CV against 119 Generative AI listings – with findings, strengths and an hourly-rate check.

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