DATA
Where are packaging companies focusing their artificial intelligence hiring efforts?
Companies are increasingly hiring for artificial intelligence roles in the packaging sector. As Michael Goodier explains, some parts of the world are proving more attractive than others.
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Artificial intelligence is an area that has seen rapid growth across a variety of industries in recent years - not least among packaging companies. Figures show that the number of new AI roles being advertised for companies in our industry has increased in recent months - with firms across the packaging spectrum looking to expand their capabilities.
In the first three months of 2021, the number of newly-advertised AI roles stood at 144. That’s an increase on 121 in Q4 2020, but down from 154 in the third quarter of last year.
The figures are compiled by GlobalData, which tracks the number of new job postings from key companies in various sectors. Using textual analysis, these job ads are then classified thematically.
GlobalData's thematic approach to sector activity seeks to collate key company information by topic to see which companies are best placed to weather the disruptions coming to their industries. These key themes, which include AI, are chosen to cover "any issue that keeps a CEO awake at night".
By tracking across job ads, we can see which companies are leading the way on specific issues and which are dragging their heels - and, more importantly, where the market is expanding and contracting.
Looking across the packaging companies tracked by GlobalData, the US is currently seeing the largest number of AI job adverts. In the first three months of 2021, the country saw 136 ads - up from 119 in Q4 2020 but down from 152 in last year’s Q3.
On a city level, the US leads the way: Boulder in the state of Colorado had the most newly-advertised AI roles in Q1 2021 with 65, followed by South Carolina’s Columbia with 21. In third place was Chesterfield in Missouri, with 17.
The US is also the fastest growth area: The 57 ads for AI roles in the country during the final quarter of 2020 rose markedly in Q1, to 136.
In terms of cities, firms are increasing AI hires in Westminster, Colorado - with nine roles in the first quarter, up from four in the previous three months.
