Unprecedented Trends in the 2026 Hiring Arena: The Current State of Recruitment in Web3.0 and AI

Having emerged from a prolonged deflation, the domestic job market has been considered favorable for job seekers...

However, the rapid advancement of generative AI has started to render the traditionally high-paying white-collar jobs unnecessary. This is particularly true in IT, where the replacement of popular technical roles, such as programmers, is progressing rapidly, sparking debates about the redundancy of programmers.

As we enter an era of unprecedented change, what should young people focus on as they approach their job search?

Recently, there has been a global demand for what is termed as 'advanced digital talents'. These are individuals who can strategically utilize AI, blockchain, and data analysis to drive business transformation and create new value. It's natural that such exceptional talents are in demand. It seems that the youth of today must aspire to become such super talents.

As IT integration progresses, the demand for IT talents naturally continues to rise. It is estimated that by 2030, Japan will face a shortage of 450,000 people, most of whom are expected to be advanced IT talents.

The Rise of Prompt Engineers: A New Professional Revolution Shaking the IT Industry

In recent years, the unfamiliar profession of 'prompt engineers' has begun to dominate the scene. These engineers input commands (prompts) that generative AI can easily understand, thereby designing, developing, and optimizing high-precision deliverables. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each generative AI, these talents design prompts by reverse-engineering the thought processes within the AI to achieve targeted deliverables. In the coming era, such talents are indispensable. Meanwhile, if there are prompt engineers who can construct a complete design plan up to delivery, professions like 'coders' who specialize in coding, 'web designers' who design websites, and 'UI directors' could all delegate their tasks to generative AI. The most time-consuming and labor-intensive phase of implementation, which used to see significant human involvement, will be the first to face cuts.

Naturally, as the labor involved in projects decreases dramatically, the budgets per project will also decrease. However, if a job that previously required 10 people and one month to complete at a cost of 1 million yen can now be managed by one person, even if the budget is reduced to 500,000 yen, the profit margin would skyrocket. If the budget remains the same, a single prompt engineer handling ten such jobs could realistically generate a monthly revenue of 10 million yen. From a productivity standpoint alone, this represents a dramatic paradigm shift.

Young individuals aiming for a career in the IT industry must understand these premises to avoid future regrets.