🌍 Global Job Market 2025: Insights From a Talent Researcher

I’m Saurabh Srivastava, and I’ve spent the last decade as a talent researcher — tracking roles, salaries, and workforce changes across industries and continents.

It started as curiosity. Why do some careers take off while others stall? Over time, that curiosity turned into a profession. These days, I spend hours each week talking to recruiters in London, CTOs in Toronto, founders in Singapore — and combing through workforce data to see what’s real versus hype.

And here’s the truth I see in 2025:Jobs aren’t disappearing. They’re mutating.

Roles You Can’t Ignore

Prompt Engineer

A contact in Berlin moved from content strategy into prompt engineering. Within a year, his salary rose from €55k to €85k.

“Every company using AI needs someone who can make the model sound smart, safe, and on-brand.”

• Skills: NLP basics, Python, problem-solving, creativity.

Salaries:

• US → $110k–$150k (senior up to $200k)
• UK → £80k–£110k
• Germany → €70k–€90k
• Singapore → S$6k–S$9k/month (~$72k–$110k/yr)
• Latin America → $4.5k–$6k/month

AI / ML Engineer

I tracked a Canadian engineer who went from CAD 95k to CAD 140k by adding ML Ops to his toolkit. That’s a 50% jump in one move.

• Skills: TensorFlow, PyTorch, deployment, cloud platforms.

Salaries:

• US → $145k–$200k+
• Canada → CAD 110k–150k
• Switzerland → $140k–$160k
• Australia → AU$110k–150k
• Japan → $20k–$85k depending on seniority

💡 Why it matters: Every company wants AI in their workflows. Running models at scale is still painful. Engineers who can do it well are rare — and rewarded.

Data Scientist (Reinvented)

Despite the headlines, data science is not dead. It’s just different now. Companies want domain expertise + storytelling, not just dashboards.

“The best data scientists don’t just explain what happened. They convince leaders what to do next.”

Salaries:

• US → $110k–$150k
• UK → £70k–£95k
• India → ₹15L–₹25L mid-level, ₹30L+ for niche expertise
• Brazil / Mexico → $45k–$70k

Cloud / ML Ops Engineer

I’ve heard this from more than one CTO: “Building the model is easy. Scaling it is where we bleed money.”

• Skills: AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes, Terraform, observability.

Salaries:

• US → $150k–$250k senior
• Europe → €80k–€120k
• Singapore → $100k–$140k
• Australia → AU$110k–140k

📌 Why it matters: These roles may not sound glamorous, but they’re the backbone of the AI boom.

Cybersecurity & AI Governance

In Dubai, a CIO told me bluntly:

“AI is useless if regulators shut us down.”

• Skills: Secure coding, compliance (EU AI Act, GDPR), bias testing, AI ethics.
• Salaries:
• US → $130k–$180k
• UK → €80k–€130k
• UAE / Saudi → $100k–$140k (often tax-free, with housing benefits)

🌐 Salary Snapshots Without the Tables

To make this real, here’s how salaries look across countries for the three hottest roles — Prompt Engineers, AI/ML Engineers, and Cloud/MLOps.

• In the US, Prompt Engineers earn $110k–$150k, senior AI Engineers easily cross $200k, and Cloud/MLOps leads go as high as $250k.
• In Canada, mid-level Prompt Engineers make CAD 90k–120k, senior AI Engineers CAD 120k–150k, and Cloud/MLOps slightly lower but steady at CAD 110k–140k.
• In the UK, Prompt Engineers average £80k–110k, senior AI Engineers £110k–150k, and Cloud/MLOps around £100k–140k.
• In Germany, Prompt Engineers fall in the €70k–90k band, senior AI Engineers at €100k–130k, and Cloud/MLOps €90k–120k.
• In Switzerland, some of the highest pay: CHF 120k–140k for Prompt Engineers, CHF 160k for senior AI Engineers, and CHF 130k–150k for Cloud/MLOps.
• In Singapore, Prompt Engineers earn $72k–110k, senior AI Engineers $100k–150k, and Cloud/MLOps $100k–140k.
• In Australia, Prompt Engineers make AU$90k–120k, senior AI Engineers AU$110k–150k, and Cloud/MLOps AU$110k–140k.
• In Japan, salaries are lower overall: Prompt Engineers $40k–60k, senior AI Engineers $70k–90k, Cloud/MLOps $80k–100k.
• In Latin America, Prompt Engineers land between $54k–72k, senior AI Engineers $60k–90k, and Cloud/MLOps $65k–95k.
• In the UAE and Saudi Arabia, Prompt Engineers $80k–100k, senior AI Engineers $100k–140k, and Cloud/MLOps $100k–150k — often with tax-free packages and perks.

✈️ Where To Move (and Why)

• Bangalore & Hyderabad → AI labs and global capability centres expanding fast.
• London & Berlin → Great for AI + product roles (but taxes bite).
• Singapore → Asia’s AI hub; expensive but balanced by salaries.
• Toronto & Vancouver → Strong research clusters, immigration-friendly.
• Dubai & Riyadh → Tax-free, high packages, heavy government AI investment.

My Take as a Researcher

• For stability, Cloud and Cybersecurity are safer bets.
• For growth and premium pay, Prompt Engineers and AI Engineers are skyrocketing.
• For career mobility, Data + AI Product roles transfer across industries and geographies.

“2025 isn’t about fearing AI. It’s about keeping pace with it. Jobs haven’t disappeared — they’ve just changed shape.”

And here’s what I believe: the faster you adapt, the more you thrive.

Final Thought

The global job market isn’t shrinking. It’s shifting. Those who reskill, stay curious, and move where opportunity is — whether that’s Bangalore, Berlin, or Boston — will find 2025 to be the most exciting year of their career.

So let me ask you this: If you could relocate today for your career, which country would you choose, and why?