Israel is global leader in AI talent, confirms new LinkedIn Report

The networking site ranks Israel as having the highest concentration of AI talent and leading globally for women in AI

Israel ranks first globally for the highest concentration of AI talent, according to LinkedIn’s AI Talent Index, which monitors workforce trends across nations and sectors.

The report, based on member profile data collected from the professional networking site, showed that in the metric measuring the highest concentration of AI talent, Israel had the highest proportions of workers with AI-related skills, making up 1.98% of the workforce. Second was Singapore (1.64%) then Luxembourg (1.44%), Estonia (1.15%) and Switzerland (1.09%).

Published last month, the Talent Index highlights Israel’s exceptional density of AI professionals relative to its working-age population, underscoring the nation’s strategic emphasis on AI development and prowess in the field.

The AI talent concentration data is collated from LinkedIn members who have added at least two AI skills to their profile or employment records. The AI Talent Index measured three metrics: the concentration of AI talent, in which Israel came first, and then by working age (fifth place) and by working population (sixth place).

In the overall LinkedIn AI Talent Index, which includes various metrics — AI engineering and AI literacy skills, AI talent concentration, working population, gender, and industry — Israel ranked sixth- highest worldwide, with a score of 1.65, making it 65% higher than the global average. Singapore were first (2.45) followed by Netherland, Luxembourg, Lithuania and Ireland. The United Kingdom ranked 10th (1.43) and the US, 11th (1.38).

Israel also took the top spot in industry-specific AI talent – education, financial services, manufacturing, and technology, information, & media, and was first for women globally in AI, with an index of 2.95, beating Singapore (2.37) and representing nearly three times more than the global average.

Chua Pei Ying, LinkedIn’s APAC head economist, said: “Many of these countries with the highest AI talent concentration – Israel, Singapore, Luxembourg, Estonia – are relatively small in terms of population and geographical size, but they are punching above their weight in terms of developing AI talent quickly.” He told CNBC Make It that “this may be made possible by building a thriving ecosystem where talent is nurtured – when companies are invested in their employees’ skill development, and governments create policies that encourage continuous learning.”

A study last year by ZeroBounce revealed that 1.13% of Israel’s total labour force is dedicated to AI-related roles—the highest percentage globally. This surpassed larger nations like the United States, China, and the United Kingdom, which rank higher in absolute numbers but lower in per capita terms.

According to a report by Start Up Nation, AI startups make up more than 30 percent of Israeli tech companies, accounting for about 47% of total investments, showing strong investor confidence in the sector’s continued growth potential.