{"id":24922,"date":"2026-06-18T23:25:42","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T23:25:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/06\/18\/okc-ai-job-market-surges-66-ranking-among-nations-fastest-growing-metros-the-journal-record\/"},"modified":"2026-06-18T23:25:42","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T23:25:42","slug":"okc-ai-job-market-surges-66-ranking-among-nations-fastest-growing-metros-the-journal-record","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/06\/18\/okc-ai-job-market-surges-66-ranking-among-nations-fastest-growing-metros-the-journal-record\/","title":{"rendered":"OKC AI job market surges 66%, ranking among nation\u2019s fastest-growing metros &#8211; The Journal Record"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/journalrecord.com\/event\/empowering-women\/\">Empowering Women<\/a><\/p>\n<p>By : <a href=\"https:\/\/journalrecord.com\/author\/sroyka\/\"><b>Sam Royka<\/b><\/a><span>\/\/<\/span>June 18, 2026<span>\/\/<\/span><b><span class=\"bsf-rt-reading-time\"><span class=\"bsf-rt-display-label\" prefix=\"\"><\/span> <span class=\"bsf-rt-display-time\" reading_time=\"2\"><\/span> <span class=\"bsf-rt-display-postfix\" postfix=\"Minute Read\"><\/span><\/span><\/b><br \/>The Rack59 data center in western Oklahoma City offers jobs in the AI sector. The entrance sign is shown in front of the data center&#8217;s on-site OGE electrical substation. (Photo\/Sam Royka, The Journal Record)<br \/>OKC AI job market surges 66%, ranking among nation&#8217;s fastest-growing metros<br \/>The Rack59 data center in western Oklahoma City offers jobs in the AI sector. The entrance sign is shown in front of the data center&#8217;s on-site OGE electrical substation. (Photo\/Sam Royka, The Journal Record)<\/p>\n<p>By : <a href=\"https:\/\/journalrecord.com\/author\/sroyka\/\"><b>Sam Royka<\/b><\/a><span>\/\/<\/span>June 18, 2026<span>\/\/<\/span><b><span class=\"bsf-rt-reading-time\"><span class=\"bsf-rt-display-label\" prefix=\"\"><\/span> <span class=\"bsf-rt-display-time\" reading_time=\"2\"><\/span> <span class=\"bsf-rt-display-postfix\" postfix=\"Minute Read\"><\/span><\/span><\/b><br \/><em>\u2013 AI-related hiring in <a href=\"https:\/\/journalrecord.com\/tag\/oklahoma-city\/\" class=\"st_tag internal_tag\" rel=\"tag\" title=\"Posts tagged with oklahoma city\">Oklahoma City<\/a> increased 66% year over year.<\/em> <br \/><em>\u2013 Oklahoma ranked eighth among surprising AI job markets.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"article_dfp_ads\"><!-- incontent300x250a -->\t\t  \t<\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-incontent300x250a\" \t\t     class=\"div-gpt-ad-incontent300x250a incontent300x250a dfp_ad_pos\"> \t\t\t<script type='text\/javascript'>\n\t\t\t\tgoogletag.cmd.push(function () {\n\t\t\t\t\tgoogletag.display('div-gpt-ad-incontent300x250a');\n\t\t\t\t\tgoogletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(true);\n\t\t\t\t});\n\t\t\t<\/script> \t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em>\u2013 Demand is expanding beyond traditional technology roles.<\/em> <\/p>\n<p>OKLAHOMA CITY \u2014 Oklahoma City ranks among the nation&#8217;s fastest-growing markets for <a href=\"https:\/\/journalrecord.com\/tag\/artificial-intelligence\/\" class=\"st_tag internal_tag\" rel=\"tag\" title=\"Posts tagged with artificial intelligence\">artificial intelligence<\/a> jobs, with AI-related hiring up 66% from a year ago, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indeed.com\/career-advice\/news\/surprising-cities-ai-jobs\">new data from Indeed.<\/a> <br \/>The job site recently ranked Oklahoma City eighth\u00a0among the most\u00a0surprising\u00a0U.S. metros with\u00a0high\u00a0concentrations of AI-related job opportunities.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article_dfp_ads\"><!-- incontent300x250b -->\t\t  \t<\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-incontent300x250b\" \t\t     class=\"div-gpt-ad-incontent300x250b incontent300x250b dfp_ad_pos\"> \t\t\t<script type='text\/javascript'>\n\t\t\t\tgoogletag.cmd.push(function () {\n\t\t\t\t\tgoogletag.display('div-gpt-ad-incontent300x250b');\n\t\t\t\t\tgoogletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(true);\n\t\t\t\t});\n\t\t\t<\/script> \t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;In Oklahoma City, <a href=\"https:\/\/journalrecord.com\/tag\/ai-hiring\/\" class=\"st_tag internal_tag\" rel=\"tag\" title=\"Posts tagged with AI hiring\">AI hiring<\/a> is primarily centered around engineering and technical data positions rather than being limited to specialized AI roles,&#8221; said\u00a0An\u00a0Nguyen, an\u00a0economist with <a href=\"https:\/\/journalrecord.com\/tag\/indeed\/\" class=\"st_tag internal_tag\" rel=\"tag\" title=\"Posts tagged with Indeed\">Indeed<\/a>. <br \/>The most common AI-related job titles in the metro include <a href=\"https:\/\/journalrecord.com\/tag\/software-engineers\/\" class=\"st_tag internal_tag\" rel=\"tag\" title=\"Posts tagged with software engineers\">software engineers<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/journalrecord.com\/tag\/data-engineers\/\" class=\"st_tag internal_tag\" rel=\"tag\" title=\"Posts tagged with data engineers\">data engineers<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/journalrecord.com\/tag\/data-analysts\/\" class=\"st_tag internal_tag\" rel=\"tag\" title=\"Posts tagged with data analysts\">data analysts<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/journalrecord.com\/tag\/automation-engineers\/\" class=\"st_tag internal_tag\" rel=\"tag\" title=\"Posts tagged with automation engineers\">automation engineers<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/journalrecord.com\/tag\/ai-training-specialists\/\" class=\"st_tag internal_tag\" rel=\"tag\" title=\"Posts tagged with AI training specialists\">AI training specialists<\/a>, Nguyen said. <br \/>The growth mirrors a broader statewide trend. Oklahoma recorded 6,246 AI-related job postings in 2025, up from 4,125 in 2023, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/hai.stanford.edu\/ai-index\/2026-ai-index-report\/economy\">Stanford University&#8217;s 2026 AI Index Report<\/a>. <br \/>While AI hiring continues to grow,\u00a0the technology&#8217;s\u00a0long-term impact on employment remains uncertain. One-third of organizations\u00a0surveyed by consulting firm <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mckinsey.com\/capabilities\/quantumblack\/our-insights\/the-state-of-ai\">McKinsey<\/a> expect AI to contribute to workforce reductions by 2026, though Stanford&#8217;s report found little evidence of widespread AI-driven layoffs so far. <br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mckinsey.com\/capabilities\/quantumblack\/our-insights\/the-state-of-ai\">McKinsey&#8217;s 2025 report<\/a>\u00a0also showed 62% of survey respondents said their organizations were testing the waters with AI assistants, showing a trend of curiosity in AI implementation. <br \/>The demand for AI-related workers is no longer\u00a0limited to traditional technology companies. Nguyen said employers are increasingly seeking workers who can use or support AI systems in fields ranging from healthcare to customer service. <br \/>&#8220;The presence of non-technical roles (that include work with AI), including customer service representatives and\u00a0ultrasonographers, indicates that AI adoption is expanding beyond technical titles,&#8221; Nguyen said. <br \/>At the same time, some entry-level technology positions appear to be under pressure. Stanford reported that\u00a0employment among software developers ages 22 to 25 fell nearly 20% nationally over the past two years, a trend some analysts have linked to AI-assisted coding tools and a broader slowdown in tech hiring. <br \/>Oklahoma&#8217;s growing AI infrastructure could further boost demand for specialized workers. In August 2025, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/google-pledges-9-billion-expand-ai-cloud-infrastructure-oklahoma-2025-08-13\/\">Google<\/a> announced plans to invest $9 billion to expand its cloud and AI\u00a0infrastructure in Oklahoma. Oklahoma City also became home to a new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cerebras.ai\/blog\/okc\">Cerebras AI<\/a> compute facility late last year. <br \/>While most\u00a0AI-related jobs are still concentrated in larger technology hubs, Oklahoma City&#8217;s rapid growth suggests the technology&#8217;s economic impact is increasingly reaching smaller and mid-sized markets. <br \/>Nationally, interest from workers continues to climb. Job seeker searches for AI-related positions have increased elevenfold since the launch of <a href=\"https:\/\/journalrecord.com\/tag\/chatgpt\/\" class=\"st_tag internal_tag\" rel=\"tag\" title=\"Posts tagged with ChatGPT\">ChatGPT<\/a> in late 2022, Nguyen said. <\/p>\n<div id=\"ldlresolve-main-content\" ldl-basepg=\"data-center\" ldl-host=\"https:\/\/data.journalrecord.com\" ldl-postid=\"760893\" ldl-title=\"OKC AI job market surges 66%, ranking among nation's fastest-growing metros\" ldl-date=\"2026-06-18 11:35:09\" ldl-resolve><\/div>\n<p><!-- post-single CPT Filter Start --><!-- post-single CPT Filter End    --><br \/>Share this!<br \/>Luther town board adopted a six-month moratorium on Beltline Energy&#8217;s 320-acre data center project, delaying d[&#8230;]<br \/><b>June 18, 2026<\/b><br \/>Apple plans to raise prices on products due to rising memory and storage chip costs amid AI-driven demand and [&#8230;]<br \/><b>June 18, 2026<\/b><br \/>The National League of Cities hosts the 2026 Women in Municipal Government Summer Conference in Broken Arrow, [&#8230;]<br \/><b>June 18, 2026<\/b><br \/>Jeff Bezos told a Paris technology conference that artificial intelligence will create labor shortages rather [&#8230;]<br \/><b>June 17, 2026<\/b><br \/>Stardust Power begins site engineering at its planned Muskogee lithium refinery, moving the project closer to [&#8230;]<br \/><b>June 16, 2026<\/b><br \/>The FutureOK Forum spotlights women driving change in Oklahoma&#8217;s business community with a luncheon focused on[&#8230;]<br \/><b>June 16, 2026<\/b><br \/>Sign up for your daily digest of Oklahoma News.<br \/> An Oklahoma grand jury indicted a man on murder and drug distribution charges in connection with the[&#8230;]\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> Luigi Mangione plans to use an extreme emotional disturbance defense in the Manhattan trial for the [&#8230;]\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> Tribal sovereignty remains active in Oklahoma despite ongoing legal challenges and court cases invol[&#8230;]\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> A Canadian mother sued OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman alleging ChatGPT encouraged her daughter&#8217;s suicide [&#8230;]\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> Bill Gates testified to Congress that Jeffrey Epstein pressured him using knowledge of his extramari[&#8230;]\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> The Salvation Army broke ground on a $2 million project in Norman that will expand shelter capacity [&#8230;]\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> Xerxes, the Oklahoma City Zoo&#8217;s 1-year-old Asian elephant calf, became the first elephant in zoo his[&#8230;]\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> Francis Tuttle students restored a historic U-Haul truck featuring a Bob Waldmire Route 66 mural for[&#8230;]\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> An Oklahoma grand jury indicted a man on murder and drug distribution charges in connection with the[&#8230;]\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> The National League of Cities hosts the 2026 Women in Municipal Government Summer Conference in Brok[&#8230;]\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> World War II veteran Bill Cordill took to the skies in a restored Stearman biplane through Dream Fli[&#8230;]\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> The American Meteor Society reports a surge in fireball meteors across North America, with scientist[&#8230;]\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> Morningstar values SpaceX at $780 billion, less than half its IPO target of $1.75 trillion, citing u[&#8230;]\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> Rocket One shares jump 40% after biotech firm rebrands into AI and space computing, sparking investo[&#8230;]\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> Large U.S. mutual and index funds are setting aside cash to add SpaceX and OpenAI IPOs, anticipating[&#8230;]\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/>The Journal Record is an award-winning daily general business and legal publication that includes a daily print newspaper and a 24\/7 website. Both focus on local and statewide business trends and in-depth stories that convey the voice of the Oklahoma business community.<br \/>Get our free e-alerts &#038; breaking news notifications!<br \/><a href=\"\/subscribe\">Subscribe<\/a> for access to the latest digital and special editions.<br \/>&copy; 2026 BridgeTower Media. 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(Photo\/Sam Royka, The Journal Record)OKC AI job market surges 66%, ranking among nation&#8217;s fastest-growing metrosThe Rack59 data center [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24923,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24922","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24922"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24922\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24923"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}