MAVA Colleagues,
We are pleased to share “Mass. employers still look for ‘traditional’ tech skills, not just AI”.
David
Mass. employers still look for ‘traditional’ tech skills, not just AI: report
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MassTLC released its "Fastest growing tech skills in Massachusetts" report, prepared in collaboration with FourOne Insights.
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By Lucia Maffei – Reporter, Boston Business Journal
Oct 7, 2025
Story Highlights
- Massachusetts report shows AI skills in high demand alongside traditional tech skills.
- Employers face shortage of workers with top 10 fastest-growing tech skills.
- MassTLC recommends upskilling current workforce over hiring new staff.
AI skills are in high demand. But they’re not all employers are looking for, according to a new report by one of the largest tech organizations in New England.
On Tuesday the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council, in collaboration with FourOne Insights, a research and advisory firm, released the "Fastest growing tech skills in Massachusetts" report.
Sara Fraim, CEO of MassTLC, said in an interview ahead of the release that the report’s findings are "sort of the antithesis" to headlines presenting computer science degrees as useless as AI takes over writing code.
"This notion that you have to be completely skilled in AI and AI only is … just not accurate," she said.
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<![endif]>The report compared tech job postings in Massachusetts in 2023 to those during the 12 months ending in July 2025. Researchers quantified demand by analyzing the job postings that fit CompTIA’s definition of "tech" occupations in both the private and public sectors.
The two skills that grew the fastest were indeed AI-related: Mentions of generative AI in job postings expanded 682% since 2023, while "large language modeling," an AI-related skill, grew 348%.
But the remaining eight fastest growing IT skills in the state? They are ones Fraim describes as "traditional skills." They include machine learning operations (153%); observability (150%); data infrastructure (115%); general data protection regulation (100%); encryption (88%); data transformation (79%); broad artificial intelligence (75%); and containerization (74%).
"These are things that have been around for quite some time," Fraim said.
The report noted that "while AI is the attention-grabber, Massachusetts employers still rely heavily on core technical capabilities to grow and compete."
Upskilling workers vs. hiring new staff
The report says that only two skills in the top 10 — large language modeling and encryption — have enough available workers in Massachusetts to meet employer needs, despite significant salary premiums associated with each skill.
Take observability, for example, a key skill to maintain system reliability. It carries a salary premium (the amount above the average tech salary in Massachusetts for a specific skill) of $32,384, yet there’s only one such worker available per five jobs openings in the Bay State, according to the report.
One of the report’s messages is that employers should consider up-skilling their tech workers rather than hiring new staff.
Fraim said that employers can "probably" up-skill their workers for less than $32,000, and that is going to be much more efficient than recruiting "somebody that doesn’t really exist anyway," perhaps ending up paying a large salary for the right person.
"Upskilling does lead to better retention. We know that" Fraim said.
The report concluded that the overall picture is that AI is not replacing all tech jobs
"Instead, new roles are emerging that extend and evolve traditional skills," the report reads. "Massachusetts companies will continue to need strong data, security, and infrastructure talent alongside advanced AI expertise. For employers, the prudent strategy is to invest in their current workforce by providing training, reskilling, and career pathways that build capacity in undersupplied, high-value skills."
Fraim said that MassTLC and FourOne Insights plan to release reports related to skills, jobs and tech roles in Massachusetts every quarter.
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David J. Ferreira
MAVA Communications Coordinator
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