American workers have spent years on edge that artificial intelligence will sweep up their jobs and make it harder to find another. New data, however, shows that those who hold in-demand AI skills may actually be in the driver's seat when it comes to making more money.

More than half of employers will offer higher-than-expected salaries to attract new hires in 2027, according to new data from talent consulting firm Robert Half. Their top priority is winning over candidates with specialized skills—and despite fears that advanced technology could replace certain jobs, there is currently a wage premium on AI expertise. The figures reflect planned starting pay for the 2027 hiring year, making them a benchmark for the recruiting cycle ahead.

Around 72% of managers plan to boost pay for recruits with relevant AI skills, and 42% say that knowledge commands a greater surcharge than other technical skills.

"Employers are willing to offer higher pay for professionals who understand where AI can add value, can integrate it into day-to-day processes, and can apply it responsibly to solve real business challenges," Dawn Fay, operational president at Robert Half, tells Fortune.

Separate data echoes the rising opportunity for professionals to turn technical expertise into higher pay. AI job postings in the U.S. have doubled since 2023, according to a LinkedIn analysis from earlier this year, and those skills come with a $100,000 pay premium. The professional platform's study found that AI is generating some of the "fastest-growing and highest-paying opportunities in today's labor market": the average AI job posting offers an annual salary of around $177,000—more than double the roughly $80,000 that non-AI roles typically pay.

The 10 U.S. cities where job-seekers could land the biggest salary bumps

Robert Half's data shows that around 57% of managers across the United States say they are offering higher-than-planned salaries to new hires, but job-seekers will have better success in some cities than others. Metropolitan areas such as the tech hub of San Francisco and the legal industry capital of Washington, D.C. are battling for top talent with bigger paychecks, while other major employment hubs, including New York City and Chicago, do not dominate the list. The spread is wide even within the top 10: San Francisco's 66% sits 18 percentage points above Houston's 48%.

Here are the 10 cities with the highest share of employers doling out bigger paychecks to new employees, according to Robert Half:

1. San Francisco (66%)
2. Denver (65%)
3. Seattle (64%)
4. Dallas (61%)
5. Minneapolis (60%)
6. Boston (59%)
7. Atlanta (57%)
8. Washington D.C. (54%)
9. Los Angeles (52%)
10. Houston (48%)

AI expertise is not the only skill commanding a premium—employers are also opening their wallets for workers in a range of specialized roles. Technology accounts for one of the biggest projected salary increases, with employers planning to raise wages for newly onboarded data scientists by 3.3% starting in 2027. Freshly hired financial analysts will also get an income boost (3.8%) next year, as will attorneys with four to nine years of experience (3.9%), marketing automation specialists (3.9%), and executive assistants (3.9%). Those workers are expected to enjoy pay increases more than double the projected salary bump of 1.7% across all specialties overall. All of these figures apply to starting pay for newly hired workers.

Employers are pulling out all the stops to bring on the best talent possible: around 64% of managers say job offers have become more competitive than they were three years ago, according to the data.

Workers worry as AI upends job security—but could be missing out on thousands

The threat of AI replacing jobs is real, but so is the opportunity for workers who know how to use it. As companies pour money into AI, employees who build those in-demand skills could find themselves on the winning side of the transformation.

Around 60% of white-collar tech workers believe their roles and teams could be replaced by AI within the next to five years, according to a 2025 report from Udacity. The technology has already been responsible for tens of thousands of job cuts in America, but it could create new opportunities in the long run. While AI and automation will cut demand for around 36 million U.S. jobs by 2035, new growth will generate the need for 41 million other roles, according to data from McKinsey Global Institute. That works out to a net gain of roughly five million roles.

For many workers, staying afloat may mean embracing the technology rather than warding it off. Currently, around 40% of U.S. workers casually use AI on the job, according to an Ipsos study conducted with Google and shared exclusively with Fortune earlier this year, while only 5% are considered "AI fluent." That gap is leading to some serious shortfalls in pay: employees who are AI fluent are over four times more likely to report higher earnings and get promoted on the strength of their AI expertise, compared with workers who are still getting used to the tech. The divide between casual use and applied fluency tracks with the skills Fay said employers are willing to pay for: integrating AI into day-to-day processes and applying it to solve real business challenges.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com.