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IT skill · Tool· AI & Machine Learning

LLM freelancers:
What the market really pays and wants.

Demand and trends for LLM – calculated from 107 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)
107
Rank 155 of 531 skills
Trend (90 d)
▲ 8 %
Market share compared with the 90 days before. IT postings overall: ▲ 42 %
Of which must-have
36 %
Rated for 107 postings (AI analysis), otherwise “nice to have”
Remote possible
91 %
39 % fully remote · stated in 82 % of postings
The jury's verdict on LLM

Growing, but still small.

LLM sits at rank 155 of 531, in the solid middle of demand. Its market share is rising (▲ 8 % vs. the 90 days before).

Solid demandRank 155 of 531 skills, 107 postings in 90 days.
Growing marketMarket share ▲ 8 % vs. the 90 days before.
Remote possible91 % of postings allow remote work.
And how does your LLM profile look?Check it for free

What is LLM – and why do companies hire LLM freelancers?

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

Data and AI71 %
Data platforms, analytics and AI solutions with LLM.
Consulting and design13 %
Consulting, concept work, architecture and project leadership around LLM.
New development13 %
Building new applications, platforms and products with LLM.

Typical roles

The roles hired most often are Data Scientist (31 %), Data Engineer (23 %), Consultant (11 %) and Software Architect (6 %). Of the postings that state an experience level, 87 % explicitly ask for senior profiles.

Demand over the last 12 weeks

new listings per week
W29W40
▲ 8 %
Market share vs. previous quarter
▲ 53 %
Postings vs. previous quarter
155 / 531
Rank among all skills

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

Which skills LLM is wanted with – and which ones pay off

Python appears in 53 % of LLM postings.

Often named together

Python53 %(opens in new tab)Generative AI41 %(opens in new tab)CI/CD37 %(opens in new tab)RAG32 %(opens in new tab)Share of LLM postings that also name the skill.

Who wants LLM – and under which conditions

Seniority

Senior87 %
Mid-level10 %

Senior dominates (87 %). Pure junior roles are rare (2 %).

Stated in 100 % of listings

Industries

it_software46 %
logistics10 %
manufacturing9 %
banking_finance7 %
automotive7 %

it_software grows the most (+4 % vs. the previous quarter).

Stated in 64 % of listings

Contract type

Freelance79 %
Permanent17 %
Temp agency5 %

Freelance dominates (79 %).

Stated in 100 % of listings

Workplace

Partly remote52 %
Fully remote39 %
On site9 %

Partly remote dominates (52 %). Anyone working fully remote only reaches 39 % of postings.

Stated in 82 % of listings

Regions (on site)

Berlin15 %
Frankfurt am Main13 %
Köln13 %
München9 %
Frankfurt9 %

Berlin leads (15 %).

Stated in 50 % of listings

Project language

German75 %
English25 %

German dominates (75 %).

Stated in 100 % of listings

Market dynamics: how contested is LLM?

Full time required94 %Share of postings stating a workload that expect full time.Basis: 50 postings with this information (47 % of all postings).

Current LLM projects

Frequently asked questions about LLM freelancing

How many LLM projects are there right now?

In the last 90 days, 107 projects and jobs mentioning LLM were posted. That is around 8 per week. The market share changed by ▲ 8 % compared with the previous quarter.

Is LLM still in demand for freelancers?

LLM ranks 155 of 531 skills.

Are LLM projects possible remotely?

91 % of LLM postings allow remote work. 39 % are fully remote.

Which skills should I learn as a LLM freelancer?

Python (53 %), Generative AI (41 %) and CI/CD (37 %) are most often required together with LLM. What actually pays off for your profile is shown by the free CV check.

Methodology: We count IT postings of the last 90 days that mention LLM. 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. 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 LLM market.
Now let the jury judge your profile.

Your CV against 107 LLM listings – with findings, strengths and an hourly-rate check.

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