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Research report ยท September 2026 edition

The Market for Coding & Software Evaluation Work

On 30 Sep 2026, 251 roles in Coding & Software Evaluation were open on 9 platforms (OpenTrain AI listed 42.2%); their median advertised rate was $65/hr, 12% above the $58/hr of all AI training work; each open role drew 1.03x the apply clicks of the average role.

Read the month's story: The AI Training Job Market in September 2026

Data window
1 Sep 2026 to 30 Sep 2026
30 days, UTC
Frozen
10 Oct 2026, 14:56 UTC
These figures will not change
Source
The public job boards of the AI training platforms this site tracks, read every day. Apply clicks are made on AITraining.jobs; full descriptions come from the platforms whose boards publish them.
Method
Version 1. Definitions
CC BY 4.0, how to cite

Every figure on this page as CSV and JSON, sent to your work email.

open roles on 30 Sep 2026
251
median advertised rate (all AI training work: $58/hr)
$65/hr
apply clicks per open role, against the average role
1.03x
of open roles at OpenTrain AI, the largest of 9 platforms
42%

Key findings

  1. 1

    Between the week of 7 Sep 2026 and the week of 21 Sep 2026, open roles in Coding & Software Evaluation on the platforms tracked since 1 Sep 2026 went up 17.1%, from about 124 to 145, against -2.1% for all AI training work on the same platforms; platforms first tracked later, left out of this panel, listed about 101 more in the week of 21 Sep 2026.

    Figure 1
  2. 2

    9 platforms listed the 251 open roles in Coding & Software Evaluation; OpenTrain AI held 42.2% and the three largest 79.3% (HHI 2,706, highly concentrated, against 1,680 for all AI training work).

    Figure 3
  3. 3

    162 of the 251 open roles in Coding & Software Evaluation (64.5%) stated an hourly rate, with a median of $65/hr (middle half $56 to $80), 12% above the $58/hr of all AI training work.

    Figure 4
  4. 4

    Each open role in Coding & Software Evaluation drew 0.22 apply clicks a week on AITraining.jobs, 1.03x the average AI training role: the 4th lowest of 10 kinds of work with enough clicks to rank.

    Figure 6
  5. 5

    42.6% of the 251 open roles in Coding & Software Evaluation accepted applicants from any country, against 37.7% of all AI training roles; of the 20 countries compared, residents of the United States (198), India (195) and Pakistan (157) could apply to the most, and residents of South Korea to the fewest (108).

    Figure 9
  6. 6

    The words used most in the titles of open roles in Coding & Software Evaluation were Engineer or developer (118), Specialist (54) and Trainer (47), of 251 open roles.

    Figure 10
  7. 7

    Of the 97 open roles in Coding & Software Evaluation with a full description, 6.2% mention a PhD or master's degree, 3.1% a professional credential and 19.6% an assessment or test; the 33 stating years of experience ask for a median of 3 years.

    Figure 11
  8. 8

    Over the 30 days from 1 Sep 2026 to 30 Sep 2026, open roles in Coding & Software Evaluation on the platforms tracked at its start went up 15.1% (126 to 145): platforms listed 154 new roles and removed 159, and a removed role had been listed for a median of 36 days (32 across all AI training work).

    Figure 2

Figure 1

Open roles, week by week

Is the number of open roles in Coding & Software Evaluation rising or falling?

WeekOpen roles (fixed panel)Index
1 to 6 SepPartial week
126
101.2
7 to 13 Sep
124
100.0
14 to 20 Sep
135
108.8
21 to 27 Sep
145
117.1
28 to 30 SepPartial week
142
114.8

Sample. Average open roles in Coding & Software Evaluation over each week's days, on the 15 platforms tracked since 1 Sep 2026 (the fixed panel; 9 of them list this work), 1 Sep 2026 to 30 Sep 2026.

The index is the panel's open roles against the week of 7 Sep 2026 (100), beside the same index for all AI training work on the same platforms.

OpenTrain AI (first tracked 5 Sep 2026) lists this work but was added to the dataset later, so it is left out of the panel and counted only in the last column: a platform's arrival never reads as growth.

Weeks with fewer than 10 open roles on the panel, or cut by the span, are marked.

Source. AITraining.jobs Research, The Market for Coding & Software Evaluation Work, September 2026 edition.

Figure 2

Listings added and removed

How fast do roles in Coding & Software Evaluation turn over, and is the stock growing on the same platforms?

WorkOpen on 1 Sep 2026Open on 30 Sep 2026, same platformsChangeNew listings
Coding & Software Evaluation126145
+15.1%
154
All AI training work1,5911,656
+4.1%
1,585

Sample. Roles listed from 1 Sep 2026 to 30 Sep 2026: 410 in Coding & Software Evaluation, 4,472 across all AI training work.

Change compares the roles open on the first and the last day of the window on the platforms tracked when it opened, so a platform added during the window does not read as growth.

A new listing first appeared in the window on a platform already tracked before that week; a platform's first week (its back catalogue) is not counted.

Median days listed runs from a removed role's listing date to its last sighting, for removed roles with a known listing date (at least 10; 152 here).

Source. AITraining.jobs Research, The Market for Coding & Software Evaluation Work, September 2026 edition.

Figure 3

Who lists it

Which platforms list roles in Coding & Software Evaluation, and what does each advertise?

PlatformOpen rolesShare of open rolesMedian per hour
OpenTrain AI106
42.2%
$27
micro151
20.3%
$70
Invisible42
16.7%
$65
Mercor37
14.7%
$79
AfterQuery8
3.2%
$75
Alignerr3
1.2%
n/a
Braintrust2
0.8%
n/a
TransPerfect DataForce1
0.4%
n/a
xAI (SpaceXAI)1
0.4%
n/a

Sample. 251 roles in Coding & Software Evaluation open at the end of 30 Sep 2026, by the platform that lists them: HHI 2,706 (highly concentrated), against 1,680 for all AI training work.

HHI: the sum of every platform's squared percentage share of the open roles, 0 to 10,000; under 1,500 is unconcentrated, 1,500 to 2,500 moderately and above 2,500 highly concentrated (US merger-guideline thresholds).

Shares are of listings, not of people hired or money paid: a platform posting one role per language or country weighs more here than its hiring may.

A median needs at least 8 roles stating an hourly rate.

Source. AITraining.jobs Research, The Market for Coding & Software Evaluation Work, September 2026 edition.

Figure 4

What it pays

What do roles in Coding & Software Evaluation advertise per hour, against AI training work as a whole?

WorkMedian per hour25th percentile75th percentileStating an hourly rate
Coding & Software Evaluation
$65
$56$8064.5%
All AI training work
$58
$30$7572.2%

Sample. Roles open on 30 Sep 2026: 251 in Coding & Software Evaluation, 162 of them stating an hourly rate; 2,726 across all AI training work.

Pay is the hourly figure the posting advertises (the middle of a stated range). The middle half runs from the 25th to the 75th percentile.

Roles paid per task or per project, or that state no figure, do not state an hourly rate. A median needs at least 8 roles stating one.

Source. AITraining.jobs Research, The Market for Coding & Software Evaluation Work, September 2026 edition.

Figure 5

How its rates are distributed

What share of roles in Coding & Software Evaluation pay $50 an hour or more?

Advertised rateOpen rolesShare of priced rolesAll AI training work
Under $15/hr1
0.6%
7.3%
$15 to $25/hr7
4.3%
10.1%
$25 to $35/hr16
9.9%
10.8%
$35 to $50/hr7
4.3%
17.8%
$50 to $75/hr71
43.8%
28.2%
$75 to $100/hr34
21.0%
10.8%
$100 to $150/hr16
9.9%
8.0%
$150/hr or more10
6.2%
6.9%

Sample. 162 roles in Coding & Software Evaluation open on 30 Sep 2026 that state an hourly rate, against 1,967 across all AI training work.

Each role counts once, at the middle of its advertised range. The bands are those of the pay-transparency report.

Source. AITraining.jobs Research, The Market for Coding & Software Evaluation Work, September 2026 edition.

Figure 6

Applicant demand per open role

Do roles in Coding & Software Evaluation draw more or fewer applicants per opening than the average AI training role?

RolesClicks per role a weekIndex
Coding & Software Evaluation
0.22
1.03x
All AI training work
0.21
1.00x
Its roles stating an hourly rate
0.28
1.32x
Its roles stating no hourly rateSmall sample
0.06
0.30x
Its roles open worldwide
0.31
1.48x
Its roles limited by country
0.14
0.67x

Sample. Apply clicks on a specific role on AITraining.jobs, from 1 Sep 2026 to 30 Sep 2026: 207 on roles in Coding & Software Evaluation, against the days those roles were open.

Clicks per role a week = apply clicks / (open role-days / 7). Index 1.00 is the rate of every role on the site.

Rows with fewer than 30 clicks or 3 roles open on an average day are marked as a small sample.

Apply clicks measure interest among visitors to AITraining.jobs, who see roles open in their country and recent, priced roles first. Clicks are never split by platform.

Source. AITraining.jobs Research, The Market for Coding & Software Evaluation Work, September 2026 edition.

Figure 7

Applicant demand by listing age

Do newer roles in Coding & Software Evaluation draw more applicants than older ones?

Listing ageClicks per role a weekIndex (this work = 1)
Listed during the window
0.63
2.88x
Listed up to 4 weeks before itSmall sample
0.12
0.55x
Listed 4 to 12 weeks before itSmall sample
0.11
0.51x
Listed more than 12 weeks before it
0.13
0.59x
Listing date unknownSmall sample
0.50
2.30x

Sample. Apply clicks on roles in Coding & Software Evaluation, from 1 Sep 2026 to 30 Sep 2026, by when each role was listed relative to the window's first day (1 Sep 2026).

Listing date: the date the job board gives for the posting, or else the first day the role appeared in the feed. A role that arrived with a platform's back catalogue and gives no date has none.

The index divides each row's rate by the rate of all roles in this kind of work, so it reads within the kind.

Rows with fewer than 30 clicks or 3 roles open on an average day are marked as a small sample.

Source. AITraining.jobs Research, The Market for Coding & Software Evaluation Work, September 2026 edition.

Figure 8

Who may apply: location rules

Can people apply to roles in Coding & Software Evaluation from anywhere?

Location ruleOpen rolesShare of its open rolesAll AI training work
Open worldwide107
42.6%
37.7%
Worldwide except listed countries8
3.2%
7.3%
Only listed countries136
54.2%
55.0%
No rule stated0
0.0%
0.0%

Sample. 251 roles in Coding & Software Evaluation open at the end of 30 Sep 2026, against 2,726 across all AI training work.

The rule is read from each posting's location text and, where the posting is silent, from what the platform states about where it hires.

Source. AITraining.jobs Research, The Market for Coding & Software Evaluation Work, September 2026 edition.

Figure 9

Who may apply: roles open to each country

How many roles in Coding & Software Evaluation can a resident of each country apply to?

CountryOpen rolesShare of its open roles
Any country (worldwide roles only)
107
42.6%
United States
198
78.9%
India
195
77.7%
Pakistan
157
62.5%
Bangladesh
149
59.4%
Germany
146
58.2%
Indonesia
144
57.4%
Brazil
139
55.4%
Philippines
139
55.4%
Egypt
127
50.6%
United Kingdom
126
50.2%
Ghana
126
50.2%
Nigeria
126
50.2%
Cambodia
123
49.0%
Colombia
120
47.8%
Argentina
114
45.4%
Chile
113
45.0%
Japan
113
45.0%
Palestine
113
45.0%
Saudi Arabia
113
45.0%
South Korea
108
43.0%

Sample. 251 roles in Coding & Software Evaluation open at the end of 30 Sep 2026, for residents of a fixed set of 20 countries.

A country's count is the roles open worldwide, plus roles whose list names it, plus roles whose exclusion list does not. Roles with no rule stated count for no country.

The 20 countries are the same in every report of this series: those named most often by the location rules of open AI training roles on 9 Oct 2026, either as the only countries accepted or as excluded.

Median pay is over the roles open to that country that state an hourly rate (at least 8).

Source. AITraining.jobs Research, The Market for Coding & Software Evaluation Work, September 2026 edition.

Figure 10

What the roles are called

What are roles in Coding & Software Evaluation called: annotator, evaluator, expert or trainer?

Title wordOpen rolesShare of its open roles
Engineer or developer
118
47.0%
Specialist
54
21.5%
Trainer
47
18.7%
Evaluator or reviewer
40
15.9%
Expert or SME
32
12.7%
Lead or manager
16
6.4%
Quality assurance
15
6.0%
Writer or editor
4
1.6%
Analyst or researcher
2
0.8%
Annotator or labeler
2
0.8%
Contributor or participant
2
0.8%
Tutor
1
0.4%

Sample. 238 of the 251 roles in Coding & Software Evaluation open on 30 Sep 2026 name one of these words in their title (94.8%); 12 title words are named.

A title can use several of these words ('Expert AI Trainer') and counts for each. The vocabularies are those of the job-titles, languages and expert-fields reports.

Median pay needs at least 8 roles stating an hourly rate.

Source. AITraining.jobs Research, The Market for Coding & Software Evaluation Work, September 2026 edition.

Figure 11

What the descriptions ask for

Do roles in Coding & Software Evaluation ask for degrees, credentials, experience or tests?

RequirementRolesShare of described roles
Mentions a PhD4
4.1%
Mentions a PhD or master's6
6.2%
Mentions any degree13
13.4%
Mentions a professional credential3
3.1%
States years of experience33
34.0%
Asks for 5 years or more11
11.3%
States weekly hours33
34.0%
Mentions an assessment or test19
19.6%
Mentions an AI-led or video interview19
19.6%
Mentions a background check0
0.0%

Sample. 97 roles in Coding & Software Evaluation open on 30 Sep 2026 whose job board publishes a full description (AfterQuery, Braintrust, Mercor and micro1), 38.6% of its open roles; 850 described roles across all AI training work.

A mention can be a requirement or a preference ('a PhD is a plus'): the figure counts both. The patterns are those of the requirements report.

Only some platforms publish full descriptions, so this figure describes their roles, not every platform's.

Source. AITraining.jobs Research, The Market for Coding & Software Evaluation Work, September 2026 edition.

For labs, data vendors and researchers

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The figures above are a summary. Behind them are records we collect ourselves, every day:

  • 9,572 roles tracked, each with its history

    Every role on 29 job boards, read daily since 13 Jul 2026: its pay and place, and the first and last day it was open.

  • 6,200 apply clicks in 28 days

    Which roles people actually apply to, by field, pay and kind of work. It happens on this site, so nobody else can count it.

  • 39 lab and vendor hiring boards

    The job boards of 25 AI labs and 14 human-data vendors, read every day: who is hiring for human data, and who is hiring to buy it.

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Method and definitions

The public job boards of the AI training platforms this site tracks, read every day. Apply clicks are made on AITraining.jobs; full descriptions come from the platforms whose boards publish them. Every figure is computed by one database query over the window shown, the same query for the live report and for every edition. Each figure states its sample beneath it.

Kind of work
Each role is classified from its title and description into one of the twelve kinds of AI training work this site tracks; this report counts the roles classified as Coding & Software Evaluation.
Fixed panel
The platforms already tracked when the weekly series opens. The index follows their open roles, so a platform added later (such as OpenTrain AI and Welo Data in September 2026) never reads as growth.
Index
The panel's average open roles in a week, divided by the same in the base week, times 100; shown beside the same index for all AI training work on the same platforms.
Open role
A role listed by a given day and still in its platform's feed that day.
New listing
A role that first appeared during the window on a platform already tracked before that week. A platform's first week in this dataset is its back catalogue and is not counted as new.
Removed listing
A role that left its platform's feed during the window.
Days listed
From a removed role's listing date to the last day it was seen in its feed. A median needs at least 10 removed roles.
HHI
Herfindahl-Hirschman Index: the sum of every platform's squared percentage share of open roles, 0 to 10,000. Under 1,500 unconcentrated, 1,500 to 2,500 moderately, above 2,500 highly concentrated.
Advertised pay
The hourly figure a posting states (the middle of a stated range). Medians need at least 8 roles stating a rate; the middle half runs from the 25th to the 75th percentile.
Clicks per open role a week
Apply clicks on AITraining.jobs on a specific role, divided by the days the roles were open, times 7.
Demand index
Clicks per open role a week divided by the same rate across every role on the site. Above 1, the roles draw more applicants than the average role.
Listing age
When a role was listed relative to the window's first day: during the window, up to 4 weeks before it, 4 to 12 weeks before or longer. The listing date is the job board's posting date, or else the first day the role appeared in the feed.
Location rule
Read from each posting's location text and, where that names no country, from what the posting's own description states: open worldwide, worldwide except listed countries, only listed countries, or no rule stated.
Open to a country
A role is open to residents of a country if it is open worldwide, its list names the country, or its exclusion list does not. The 20 countries compared are the same in every report of the series.
Window
Live: the last 28 complete days, in UTC, and the last twelve complete ISO weeks (from the week of 3 Aug 2026 at the earliest) for the weekly series. Edition: one calendar month, in UTC, and its weeks.

What this data cannot tell you

  • Platforms that recruit without a public job board are not counted. Several large ones invite workers to projects directly.
  • A listing is not a hire. Some platforms keep evergreen roles open for months, and some post one listing per language or country.
  • Apply clicks measure interest among the people who use AITraining.jobs, and what is shown first gets clicked more. Clicks are never published by platform.
  • Full descriptions are published by a few platforms only, so the requirements figure describes their roles and appears only when at least 10 roles of this kind are described.
  • A kind of work with few open roles gives figures that move with a handful of postings: rows on too little data are marked as a small sample.

How the job feeds are read and roles are classified: site methodology. How fresh, complete and consistent the data is, checked every day: data quality and coverage.

Editions

The live report covers the last 28 complete days and changes every day. Each complete month is also published as an edition, frozen two days after the month ends, so a figure you cite from an edition never moves.

Cite and reuse

Free to quote, chart and republish under CC BY 4.0 with a link to this page. This edition is frozen, so its figures will read the same later.

Citation

AITraining.jobs (2026). The Market for Coding & Software Evaluation Work, September 2026 edition. https://aitraining.run/research/coding-ai-training-market/2026-09

BibTeX

@misc{aitrainingjobs_coding_ai_training_market_2026_09,
  author = {{AITraining.jobs}},
  title = {The Market for Coding & Software Evaluation Work, September 2026 edition},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://aitraining.run/research/coding-ai-training-market/2026-09}},
}
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