New York Takes the Lead in Tech Talent

A new report from CBRE reveals that New York’s office market is now home to the most tech workers, thanks in large part to the growth of artificial intelligence (AI). For the first time in 13 years, New York has edged out the San Francisco Bay Area in terms of tech talent jobs, with a total of 394,300 jobs compared to the Bay Area’s 375,730 jobs.

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This shift in the tech talent landscape is attributed to the expansion of the finance sector in New York, which has hired a significant number of tech talent and AI workers. In contrast, the tech industry in the Bay Area has experienced cuts, resulting in a contraction of the tech talent workforce.

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AI-Related Roles on the Rise

AI-related roles now account for nearly one-third of all tech-talent job listings in the U.S., according to the report. In the past year, AI tech roles grew by 45% in both the U.S. and Canada, with San Francisco and New York each adding more than 20,000 AI-specific jobs since mid-2025.

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As of June, there were 751,000 AI-related workers across the two countries, including both new jobs and conversions from existing jobs. The report found that 37% of AI jobs in the U.S. are concentrated in the San Francisco Bay Area, New York, Seattle, and Washington.

Office Leasing on the Rise

Office leasing is rising accordingly in those markets where AI workers are most in demand. In San Francisco, AI companies made up 58% of all leasing in the first half of this year and have accounted for 30% of leasing activity, totaling about 10 million square feet, since 2023.

While overall tech drove the Bay Area’s office market over the past few decades, the pandemic pushed many of those workers to remote jobs. AI, however, has a more office-centric culture and is now fueling the market’s recovery.