Over the last couple of years, a very compelling narrative has been circulating online.
AI will replace programmers.
AI will replace analysts.
AI will replace almost anyone who works with a computer.
If you follow tech news even casually, you have probably seen these predictions hundreds of times. They sound dramatic. They sound inevitable. And, to be honest, they generate great headlines.
But I have one small problem with predictions like that.
I like checking the numbers.
So in this article, I want to look at what is actually happening in the IT job market. The starting point will be a report prepared by No Fluff Jobs, which analyzes real data from job postings, salaries, and technologies used in the industry. If you want to explore the source material directly, you can access the report here: 0054-Z – Raport NoFluffJobs.
And I will say this upfront: the picture that emerges from these numbers is surprisingly optimistic.
Not because everything is perfect.
But because reality looks very different from the “AI will replace everyone” narrative.
The IT industry is not disappearing. It is evolving.
The Narrative About the End of IT
Let’s start with the story many of us have been hearing.
AI is improving exponentially.
Language models can write code.
Automation is accelerating.
The conclusion many people quickly jumped to was simple:
If AI can do what humans do, then companies will stop needing humans.
At first glance, it sounds logical.
But the problem with this reasoning is that it is mostly based on intuition, not evidence.
So let’s look at the evidence.
And the first number we encounter is quite surprising.
Job Offers in IT Increased by 44%
If I had to highlight one number from the entire report, it would be this one.
In 2025, the number of new job postings in IT was 44% higher than the year before. 0054-Z – Raport NoFluffJobs
Pause for a moment and think about what that means.
For the last two years, we have heard that:
- AI will eliminate jobs
- companies will hire fewer developers
- analysts and engineers will become obsolete
Yet the number of job postings increased by almost half.
That is not a small fluctuation.
That is a strong signal.
Companies still need people.
And the market does not look like it is collapsing anytime soon.
An Even More Interesting Statistic: Competition Is Falling
The second number that caught my attention relates to competition.
The average number of applications per job offer dropped by around 45% year over year. 0054-Z – Raport NoFluffJobs
So we have a situation where:
- there are more job offers
- but fewer candidates applying for each one
This combination is quite unusual.
Typically, when the number of job openings grows, the number of applicants grows as well.
Here, however, it looks like many people simply stepped back.
And I have a theory about why that might be happening.
Maybe we believed the “AI will replace everyone” narrative too quickly.
Maybe some people decided there was no point in learning programming or data analysis anymore because AI would do everything for us.
But the numbers tell a very different story.
The IT Industry Is Much More Than Programming
There is another common misconception that is worth addressing.
For a long time, IT was almost synonymous with programming.
If someone said, “I work in IT,” most people immediately imagined a software developer.
But the technology industry is much broader than that.
In recent years, data-related roles have become increasingly important:
- Data & BI
- Data engineering
- Business analytics
- AI and machine learning
According to the report, Data & BI is among the top categories of job demand in IT. 0054-Z – Raport NoFluffJobs
This is not a niche anymore.
It is a core part of the industry.
A few years ago, the dominant roles were things like:
- backend developer
- frontend developer
- full stack developer
Today, data-related roles are claiming a growing share of the market.
Why the Data World Is Growing So Fast
If you already work with data, this probably does not surprise you.
Every company today collects massive amounts of information:
- customer behavior
- sales data
- product metrics
- user activity
But raw data by itself does not mean anything.
Companies need people who can:
- prepare data
- process it
- analyze it
- translate it into meaningful business insights
That is where analysts, data engineers, and BI specialists come in.
In a world where almost everything is measured, logged, and tracked, the importance of data continues to grow.
Python and SQL: The Two Technologies That Dominate the Market
One of the most interesting sections of the report analyzes the technologies most frequently mentioned in job postings.
And two technologies clearly stand out.
Python and SQL.
These two tools appear among the most commonly required skills in IT job offers. 0054-Z – Raport NoFluffJobs
What is particularly interesting is that neither of them is new.
SQL dates back to the 1970s.
Python is more than 30 years old.
Yet they remain the foundation of modern data work.
Why?
Because they are:
- flexible
- widely adopted
- relatively easy to learn
- extremely powerful for data analysis
Whenever someone asks me where to start learning data analysis, my answer has remained the same for years.
Start with SQL.
Then learn Python.
And the job market data confirms that this is still a very relevant path.
Juniors Have the Hardest Start (But That Has Always Been True)
Another insight from the report concerns experience levels.
And here, there are no huge surprises.
Junior candidates face the toughest situation on the job market.
That has always been the case.
Companies prefer people who can deliver value quickly, which naturally makes senior specialists more attractive.
But there is an interesting development worth mentioning.
In the near future, what I call the “junior plus” profile might become increasingly valuable.
This is someone who:
- has solid fundamentals
- knows how to use AI tools effectively
- learns quickly
- can solve problems independently
In a world where AI accelerates both learning and productivity, the gap between junior and mid-level professionals may shrink faster than before.
Data Salaries vs Programming Salaries
Let’s talk about something everyone likes to check in job market reports.
Salaries.
And here we find another interesting insight.
Compensation in Data & BI roles is increasingly similar to backend developer salaries. 0054-Z – Raport NoFluffJobs
A few years ago, programming was clearly seen as the most lucrative path in IT.
Today, data-related careers often offer very comparable income levels.
For many people, this is good news.
Because working with data often involves:
- more business context
- more analytical thinking
- less pure coding
And that combination attracts a lot of people entering the industry.
Real Job Offers Show Impressive Salary Ranges
If we look at actual job postings in the data field, salary ranges can be quite high.
Senior data engineering roles can reach 35,000–40,000 PLN per month in some offers. 0054-Z – Raport NoFluffJobs
Of course, those are senior-level positions.
But they illustrate something important.
Data specialists create real business value.
Companies rely on them to:
- optimize decisions
- improve revenue
- reduce costs
- understand their customers
And when a role directly affects business outcomes, it tends to be well compensated.
So… Will AI Replace These Jobs?
This question always comes up.
And my answer is relatively simple.
AI will change how we work.
But that does not automatically mean people will disappear from the process.
History shows that new technologies usually:
- eliminate some tasks
- accelerate others
- create entirely new roles
The same happened with computers.
The same happened with the internet.
And AI will most likely follow a similar pattern.
My Prediction: Roles Will Merge
Looking at how the industry evolves, I have a personal prediction.
Roles in IT will increasingly merge.
In a few years, a “full stack” professional might be someone who can:
- write code
- analyze data
- use AI tools
- understand business problems
The boundaries between these areas will become less rigid.
And honestly, that is an exciting direction.
It means the technology industry will become more interdisciplinary.
Is It Still Worth Entering Data Analytics Today?
This is one of the most common questions I receive.
And my answer is yes, but with realistic expectations.
Data analysis is no longer a small niche.
It is a large, competitive market.
But at the same time:
- demand continues to grow
- learning resources are widely available
- the career path is becoming clearer
If someone wants to enter the field, three things matter most:
- solid fundamentals
- practical experience
- patience
This is not a sprint.
It is more like a marathon.
That is one of the reasons I try to organize learning materials at KajoData in a structured way, guiding people step by step from the basics toward professional-level skills. The same philosophy is behind KajoDataSpace.
Conclusion: IT Is Not Ending. It Is Transforming
If I had to summarize the entire report in one sentence, it would be this:
The IT industry is not disappearing.
It is transforming.
AI did not make people irrelevant.
Instead, it is reshaping:
- the skills companies expect
- the roles that exist
- the way work gets done
And at the same time, the numbers show something very important.
There are more job offers.
Competition has decreased.
The data world is growing rapidly.
If you are interested in technology, analytics, or AI, this might actually be a very interesting moment to get involved.
And if you think this article could help someone understand what is really happening in the IT job market today, consider sharing it on your social media. The more people see real data instead of speculation, the better decisions they can make about their careers.
The article was written by Kajo Rudziński – analytical data architect, recognized expert in data analysis, creator of KajoData and polish community for analysts KajoDataSpace.
That’s all on this topic. Analyze in peace!
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