Demand for AI skills is growing 2.5 times faster in IT consulting projects than in permanent positions, and rates are following suit
Hoofddorp – AI skills such as vibe coding and prompt engineering are increasingly becoming a requirement in the skill sets of IT professionals. Since 2024, demand for AI skills in temporary assignments has risen by 161 percent. By comparison, demand for these skills has also grown significantly in ICT job postings, but by 65 percent. This is according to the latest edition of theTalent Monitor, a joint publication by HR tech service provider HeadFirst Group and labor market data specialistIntelligence Group.
Highest salaries for IT architect and management roles
Freelancers benefit not only from a wider range of AI assignments but also from higher hourly rates. Roles requiring AI expertise are among the highest-paying IT assignments. For example, enterprise architects earn an average of €127 per hour, followed by security architects (€125) and information managers (€122). These high rates are not an isolated phenomenon: in 2025, the average hourly rate for IT professionals will exceed €100 per hour for the first time. That represents a 4.7 percent increase compared to the previous year.
Geert-Jan Waasdorp, CEO of Intelligence Group: “Demand for AI skills is currently growing much faster in the temporary workforce market than in permanent positions. Organizations are increasingly turning to external professionals to develop and implement AI applications more quickly on a project basis. This makes the temporary workforce a key driver of innovation. And for professionals, AI knowledge and expertise lead to higher rates.”
Microservices and OpenShift are growing in popularity
In addition to AI, demand for other specialized IT skills among external professionals is also growing. Development and application skills, in particular, are seeing a sharp increase. For example, demand for microservices rose by 158 percent, while relational databases and the OpenShift container platform both increased by 128 percent.
At the same time, the contract market is becoming more competitive. Between the end of 2024 and the end of 2025, the number of contracts for external professionals has decreased by nearly 20 percent. The number of self-employed professionals has fallen by 8 percent over the same period, and 68 percent of all employed IT professionals now have permanent contracts—2 percent more than at the end of 2024.
“AI is transforming both the work of IT professionals and the way organizations hire talent,” says Marion van Happen, CEO of HeadFirst Group. “Organizations are looking for professionals who can immediately apply new technology to existing systems and processes. This presents enormous opportunities for freelancers and professionals employed by vendors, provided they continue to develop their specialized skills and clearly position themselves in the market.”