November 25, 2025
AI or hangover? Pick a side
The gruesome new data on tech jobs
Data jobs vanish, AI vs hiring hangover, comments erupt
TLDR: Indeed reports data and analytics jobs down 40% with more people chasing fewer roles. Commenters battle over whether AI or the post-boom hiring hangover is to blame, with side dramas about job-title rebranding and if Indeed even captures the “real” tech market.
Indeed just dropped grim numbers: tech postings plunged since the 2022 boom, and data & analytics roles are down about 40% with the index at 60, while applications per posting keep climbing. But the real story is the comment section meltdown.
One camp blames the 2021–23 hiring binge under ZIRP (zero interest rates), not robots. “AI isn’t the villain, it’s the hangover,” argue skeptics like rogerrogerr. The other camp says generative AI—those chatty tools that summarize spreadsheets—lets teams “do more with less,” squeezing junior roles and flattening pay. Cue panic: “Is my first job now a chatbot?”
Then comes the identity crisis. jmugan swears the jobs didn’t vanish, the titles did: “Data scientist” is out; “analytics engineer,” “BI developer,” and other buzzwords are in. Meanwhile, impure reports more recruiter emails in Toronto, while dan-robertson doubts whether Indeed even sees the real tech market compared to LinkedIn.
The spiciest take? bpt3 says most of these aren’t “real tech” anyway—more like business support—and drags fake “scientists” who “never heard of the scientific method.” Memes fly about upgrading your title to Spreadsheet Wizard or Dashboard Necromancer. Verdict: fewer openings, more applicants, and a whole lot of vibes
Key Points
- •Indeed’s study shows overall job postings have steadily declined since the 2022 pandemic boom.
- •Tech job postings fell sharply: Indeed’s Tech Job Postings Index dropped from above 200 in 2022 to 67.
- •Data and analytics roles are hit hardest, with a Jobs Posting Index of 60—the lowest among tracked sectors.
- •There are about 40% fewer data and analytics openings than before the pandemic, while applications per job are rising.
- •Generative AI is enabling more data analysis with less formal training; the market is competitive with slower wage growth, per Indeed’s economist Cory Stahle.