Top-end AI and data architect pay in London rises 20%, says Michael Page
The recruiter’s 2027 UK Salary Guides show pay concentrating in applied AI, data and security roles while only 38% of technology professionals want to move and most hiring managers say the people they need are scarce
- The highest London salary for a head of AI rose around 11% and for a machine learning or AI engineer around 8%.
- Only 38% of technology professionals are actively looking for a new role, against a 50% national average.
- Limited availability of skilled candidates is a top hiring barrier for 59% of technology hiring managers.
- Across the guides, 40% of employers have struggled to meet salary expectations, and 30% of technology companies found matching them challenging.
The guides suggest pricing power in tech hiring has shifted to a narrow band of specialists, while the broad skills that once topped employer wish lists carry less weight. For tech leaders, keeping the specialists they already have is likely to cost less than replacing them, and interim cover looks a practical bridge while permanent roles are filled. Budgets set at last year's rates for these roles are likely to lose candidates to faster-moving employers.
“Candidates in high-demand areas know their value and they’re negotiating the whole proposition: pay, flexibility, progression, and the quality of the work.”James Barrett, UK practice director, technology, Michael Page
Michael Page published its 2027 UK Salary Guides on 21 September, and its technology figures show the top of the London range for an AI or data architect up around 20% on a year earlier. The recruiter’s release on the guides reports smaller rises for head of AI and machine learning roles, with applied AI, data and cybersecurity roles topping its most-wanted list for 2027.
These are Michael Page’s own numbers. The benchmarks come from assignments it completed for clients between 1 January and 30 June 2026 and its 600 consultants’ conversations with candidates and employers, covering more than 900 roles across 18 sectors, with year-on-year changes taken from the median of each published range. The sentiment figures come from an online survey run for Michael Page by UNLIMITED; an August release put it at 59,820 responses between 5 November and 17 December 2025.
Specialists up, soft skills out
The skills list has narrowed. AI literacy heads it, with data literacy and stakeholder management close behind, and the three skills that led in 2026 – communication, analytical thinking and creativity – are out of the top five. The interim market tilts the same way: AI consultancy day rates run around 9% above data architecture, 24% above cloud architecture and 16% above program management. ITPro, reporting the guides on 24 September, called it a growing rift, and the sentiment data shows why: fewer than four in 10 technology professionals want a new job, yet most hiring managers say skilled candidates are hard to find.
Sources
- Michael Page, “AI and data salaries climb by up to 20% amid rising demand for specialist technology skills”, media release, 21 September 2026. https://www.michaelpage.co.uk/news/media-releases%20/study-AI-and-data-salaries-by-climbup-to-20%25-amid-rising-demand-for-specialist-technology-skills
- ITPro, “UK tech salaries are rising, but there’s a growing rift”, Emma Woollacott, 24 September 2026. https://www.itpro.com/business/careers-and-training/uk-tech-salaries-are-rising-but-theres-a-growing-rift
- Michael Page, UK Salary Guides 2027 hub page (methodology, 900-plus roles, 18 sectors, 40% of employers). https://www.michaelpage.co.uk/salary-guides
- Michael Page, Technology & Transformation Salary Guide 2027 (in-demand roles and skills, 30% salary-expectations figure). https://www.michaelpage.co.uk/salary-guides/technology-transformation
- Michael Page, “85% of technology employers now hire on skills, not CVs – as the sector’s talent squeeze deepens”, media release, 7 August 2026 (survey fieldwork and sample size). https://www.michaelpage.co.uk/news/media-releases%20/study-85%25%20of%20technology%20employers%20now%20hire%20on%20skills%2C%20not%20CVs%20as%20the%20sector%27s%20talent%20squeeze%20deepens
