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Research report ยท September 2026 edition

AfterQuery Hiring Data

On 30 Sep 2026, AfterQuery listed 198 open AI training roles (7.3% of the market, the 6th largest of 16 platforms), 56.1% of them in Law, Medicine & Finance; all stated an hourly rate, at a median of $75/hr, and all accepted applicants worldwide except listed countries.

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, 14:54 UTC
These figures will not change
Source
The public job boards of the AI training platforms this site tracks, read every day. AfterQuery's figures come from its own public listings only; full descriptions and application forms are read where its job board publishes them.
Method
Version 1. Definitions
CC BY 4.0, how to cite

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Key findings

  1. 1

    AfterQuery listed 198 open roles on 30 Sep 2026, 7.3% of the 2,726 open across the 16 platforms AITraining.jobs reads, the 6th most.

    Figure 1
  2. 2

    Counted at the end of each week, AfterQuery went from 200 open roles on 6 Sep 2026 to 198 on 30 Sep 2026 (-1.0%).

    Figure 2
  3. 3

    56.1% of its open roles are in Law, Medicine & Finance, where AfterQuery holds 17.7% of all open roles, the 2nd largest share of 13 platforms; it lists 9 of the 12 kinds of work with open roles.

    Figure 3
  4. 4

    All 198 of its open roles state an hourly rate, with a median of $75/hr (middle half $45 to $100), against $55/hr across other platforms' priced roles.

    Figure 4
  5. 5

    Compared within the same kinds of work (4 with enough rates on both sides), the advertised median at AfterQuery runs 16.7% above other platforms' and is higher in all 4; the widest gap is in Math & STEM ($100/hr against $65/hr).

    Figure 4
  6. 6

    None of its 198 open roles are open to applicants in any country (40.7% on other platforms); all exclude the same 47 countries, among them Afghanistan, Argentina and Bangladesh.

    Figure 5
  7. 7

    From 1 Sep 2026 to 30 Sep 2026, AfterQuery posted 42 new listings and removed 5; its open roles went from 161 to 198 (+23.0%).

    Figure 7
  8. 8

    Of the 197 roles AfterQuery lists with a full description, 18.8% mention a PhD or master's degree, 31.5% a professional credential and 43.7% an assessment or test (other platforms with descriptions: 15.0%, 15.3% and 20.5%).

    Figure 12

Figure 1

AfterQuery against the other platforms

How does AfterQuery compare with the rest of the market on size, pay, reach and turnover?

MeasureAfterQueryOther platformsIts rank (1 = highest)
Open roles on 30 Sep 20261982,5286th of 16
Share of all open roles7.3%92.7%6th of 16
New listings in the window421,5436th of 16
Kinds of work listed912joint 2nd of 16
Open roles stating an hourly rate100.0%70.0%joint 1st of 13
Median advertised pay$75/hr$55/hrjoint 2nd of 11
Open roles accepting any country0.0%40.7%joint 11th of 13
Median days listed, removed rolesSmall samplen/a31.9 daysn/a

Sample. 198 roles AfterQuery listed open at the end of 30 Sep 2026, beside the 2,528 open on the other 15 platforms AITraining.jobs reads; listings from 1 Sep 2026 to 30 Sep 2026.

Other platforms: every other platform read over the same window, pooled (counts are summed, medians are taken over all their roles together).

Rank among the 16 platforms with open roles; shares need at least 10 open roles, a pay median 8 roles stating a rate and days listed 10 removed roles with a known listing date, so a platform below a threshold is not ranked on it. Days listed rank longest first.

Listings only: what the platform's public job board shows.

Source. AITraining.jobs Research, AfterQuery Hiring Data, September 2026 edition.

Figure 2

Open roles at AfterQuery, week by week

Is AfterQuery listing more AI training roles or fewer?

WeekOpen at the end of the weekNew listings
1 to 6 SepPartial week
200
39
7 to 13 Sep
197
2
14 to 20 Sep
197
0
21 to 27 Sep
198
1
28 to 30 SepPartial week
198
0

Sample. Listings by AfterQuery, by ISO week (Monday to Sunday, UTC), 1 Sep 2026 to 30 Sep 2026; 5 weeks tracked.

Open roles are counted at the end of each week (Sunday, UTC), or at the end of the window for a week it cuts. New listings leave out roles that came with the platform's back catalogue.

A week the window cuts is labelled with the days it covers and marked as partial.

Source. AITraining.jobs Research, AfterQuery Hiring Data, September 2026 edition.

Figure 3

What AfterQuery hires for

Which kinds of AI training work does AfterQuery list, and how much of each market does it hold?

Kind of workOpen rolesShare of its rolesIts share of the kind's open roles
Law, Medicine & Finance
111
56.1%17.7%
Transcription, Audio & Speech
47
23.7%13.7%
Math & STEM
21
10.6%9.6%
Coding & Software EvaluationSmall sample
8
4.0%3.2%
Multilingual & LocalizationSmall sample
4
2.0%0.5%
Writing & ContentSmall sample
3
1.5%7.3%
AI Evaluation & Rating (RLHF)Small sample
2
1.0%0.9%
Data Annotation & LabelingSmall sample
1
0.5%0.9%
Red-Teaming & AI SafetySmall sample
1
0.5%2.6%

Sample. 198 roles AfterQuery listed open at the end of 30 Sep 2026; market shares are of the 2,726 roles open on all 16 platforms that day.

Kinds of work are this site's twelve categories of AI training work, each role classified from its title and description.

Its rank in the kind is among the platforms with open roles in it. A median needs at least 8 roles stating an hourly rate.

Source. AITraining.jobs Research, AfterQuery Hiring Data, September 2026 edition.

Figure 4

What AfterQuery advertises it pays

How often does AfterQuery state its pay, and how does it compare with other platforms for the same work?

RolesStating an hourly rateIts median per hourOther platforms' medianIts median against theirs
All its open roles100.0%
$75
$55+36.4%
Compared within the same kinds of work (4)n/a
n/a
n/a+16.7%
Law, Medicine & Finance100.0%
$83
$73+13.8%
Transcription, Audio & Speech100.0%
$30
$28+7.1%
Math & STEM100.0%
$100
$65+53.8%
Coding & Software Evaluation100.0%
$75
$65+15.4%
Multilingual & LocalizationSmall sample100.0%
n/a
$37n/a
Writing & ContentSmall sample100.0%
n/a
$60n/a
AI Evaluation & Rating (RLHF)Small sample100.0%
n/a
$60n/a
Data Annotation & LabelingSmall sample100.0%
n/a
$28n/a
Red-Teaming & AI SafetySmall sample100.0%
n/a
$37n/a

Sample. 198 of the 198 roles AfterQuery listed open on 30 Sep 2026 state an hourly rate; other platforms: 1,769 of 2,528.

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

A median needs at least 8 roles stating a rate, on each side for a comparison. The row compared within the same kinds of work averages the kinds where both sides have enough, weighted by the platform's priced roles in each, so a platform listing better-paid work is not read as paying more for the same work.

Source. AITraining.jobs Research, AfterQuery Hiring Data, September 2026 edition.

Figure 5

Who may apply to roles at AfterQuery

Are the roles AfterQuery lists open to applicants anywhere, or limited to some countries?

Location ruleIts open rolesShare of its rolesShare on other platforms
Open worldwide0
0.0%
40.7%
Worldwide except listed countries198
100.0%
0.0%
Only listed countries0
0.0%
59.3%
No rule stated0
0.0%
0.0%

Sample. 198 roles AfterQuery listed open on 30 Sep 2026, against the 2,528 open on other platforms.

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. A rule says where applications are accepted; tax, payment and work-permit rules can still apply.

Source. AITraining.jobs Research, AfterQuery Hiring Data, September 2026 edition.

Figure 6

Countries AfterQuery excludes

Which countries does AfterQuery leave out of roles otherwise open worldwide?

CountryRoles excluding itShare of such roles
Afghanistan
198
100.0%
Argentina
198
100.0%
Bangladesh
198
100.0%
Belarus
198
100.0%
Bolivia
198
100.0%
Brazil
198
100.0%
Burundi
198
100.0%
Cambodia
198
100.0%
Central African Republic
198
100.0%
Chad
198
100.0%
Chile
198
100.0%
China
198
100.0%
Colombia
198
100.0%
Comoros
198
100.0%
Congo (Republic)
198
100.0%

Sample. 198 of the 198 roles AfterQuery listed open on 30 Sep 2026 are open worldwide except listed countries; 47 countries are excluded by at least one, the 15 excluded most often shown (every one of these roles excludes the same list).

Exclusions usually follow payment and sanctions rules: where a platform cannot pay or contract, not where it has no work.

Source. AITraining.jobs Research, AfterQuery Hiring Data, September 2026 edition.

Figure 7

Listings posted and removed by AfterQuery

How many roles did AfterQuery post and take down?

MeasureRoles
Open at the start of 1 Sep 2026
161
New listings
42
Removed listings
5
Open at the end of 30 Sep 2026
198

Sample. Listings by AfterQuery from 1 Sep 2026 to 30 Sep 2026.

New listings: roles first seen in the window, outside the platform's first week in this dataset. Removed: roles that left the feed during the window. A role can be both.

The other platforms' count at the start leaves out platforms first tracked during the window.

35 of its 42 new listings (83.3%) fell on a single day, 5 Sep 2026: one large change to its board moves the window's flow.

Source. AITraining.jobs Research, AfterQuery Hiring Data, September 2026 edition.

Figure 8

How long roles at AfterQuery stayed up

How long had the roles AfterQuery removed been listed?

Days listedRemoved rolesShare
Under 7 daysSmall sample0
0.0%
7 to 13 daysSmall sample0
0.0%
14 to 29 daysSmall sample0
0.0%
30 to 59 daysSmall sample4
80.0%
60 days or moreSmall sample1
20.0%

Sample. 5 roles AfterQuery removed from 1 Sep 2026 to 30 Sep 2026 with a known listing date (other platforms: 31.9 days over 1,714 roles).

Days listed: from the listing date the job board states (or the first day the role appeared in the feed) to the last day it was seen. Roles that arrived with the back catalogue and state no date are left out.

A median needs at least 10 removed roles. A removed role may have been filled, paused or closed: platforms do not say which.

Source. AITraining.jobs Research, AfterQuery Hiring Data, September 2026 edition.

Figure 9

What AfterQuery calls the work

Which words does AfterQuery use in its job titles: trainer, tutor, expert, rater, annotator?

Title wordIts open rolesShare of its rolesShare on other platforms
Expert or SME
141
71.2%17.8%
Contributor or participant
46
23.2%2.7%
Engineer or developer
14
7.1%6.3%
Analyst or researcherSmall sample
7
3.5%5.4%
Lead or managerSmall sample
7
3.5%5.0%
Writer or editorSmall sample
5
2.5%3.0%
SpecialistSmall sample
4
2.0%24.3%
Evaluator or reviewerSmall sample
3
1.5%13.4%
Linguist or translatorSmall sample
2
1.0%1.4%
Annotator or labelerSmall sample
1
0.5%6.9%
Quality assuranceSmall sample
1
0.5%8.5%
None of these words
2
1.0%14.9%

Sample. 198 roles AfterQuery listed open on 30 Sep 2026, by the words in their titles (the same vocabulary as the job titles report).

A title can use several words ('Expert AI Trainer') and counts for each, so shares add to more than 100%. Whole words, case-insensitive.

Source. AITraining.jobs Research, AfterQuery Hiring Data, September 2026 edition.

Figure 10

Languages AfterQuery hires for

Which languages does AfterQuery name in its job titles?

LanguageIts open rolesShare of its rolesIts share of all roles naming the language
English
47
23.7%30.9%
ArabicSmall sample
1
0.5%1.9%
BengaliSmall sample
1
0.5%5.6%
BulgarianSmall sample
1
0.5%11.1%
Chinese (Mandarin)Small sample
1
0.5%1.7%
CroatianSmall sample
1
0.5%9.1%
CzechSmall sample
1
0.5%8.3%
DanishSmall sample
1
0.5%6.3%
DutchSmall sample
1
0.5%2.9%
EstonianSmall sample
1
0.5%14.3%
Filipino (Tagalog)Small sample
1
0.5%7.1%
FinnishSmall sample
1
0.5%6.7%

Sample. 47 of the 198 roles AfterQuery listed open on 30 Sep 2026 name a language in the title (45 languages, the 12 named most often shown).

Read from titles with the vocabulary of the languages report (whole words); a title naming two counts for both, and a role that needs a language without naming it is not counted.

Source. AITraining.jobs Research, AfterQuery Hiring Data, September 2026 edition.

Figure 11

Expert fields AfterQuery hires for

Which professions and disciplines does AfterQuery name in its job titles?

FieldIts open rolesShare of its rolesIts share of all roles naming the field
Medicine & nursing
20
10.1%18.9%
Finance, accounting & economics
17
8.6%12.8%
Business, sales & consulting
13
6.6%16.0%
Engineering (non-software)
12
6.1%13.3%
Software & computer science
10
5.1%4.8%
LawSmall sample
9
4.5%9.4%
Education & teachingSmall sample
8
4.0%42.1%
Psychology & mental healthSmall sample
7
3.5%13.7%
Writing, editing & journalismSmall sample
6
3.0%6.3%
Design & visual artsSmall sample
4
2.0%5.4%
Humanities & social sciencesSmall sample
4
2.0%10.5%
Biology & life sciencesSmall sample
3
1.5%9.4%

Sample. 111 of the 198 roles AfterQuery listed open on 30 Sep 2026 name a field in the title (16 fields, the 12 named most often shown).

Read from titles with the vocabulary of the expert fields report (whole words); a title naming two counts for both, and a role that needs a field without naming it is not counted.

Source. AITraining.jobs Research, AfterQuery Hiring Data, September 2026 edition.

Figure 12

What roles at AfterQuery ask for

Do the roles AfterQuery lists ask for degrees, credentials, experience, set hours or tests?

The descriptionIts rolesShare of its roles readOther platforms with descriptions
Mentions a PhD or doctorate26
13.2%
10.9%
Mentions a PhD or master's degree37
18.8%
15.0%
Mentions a degree62
31.5%
21.6%
Mentions a professional credential62
31.5%
15.3%
States years of experience55
27.9%
25.0%
States weekly hours101
51.3%
20.7%
Mentions an assessment, test or trial task86
43.7%
20.5%
Mentions an interview of any kind2
1.0%
10.9%
Mentions an AI-led or recorded interview0
0.0%
6.4%
Mentions a background or identity check6
3.0%
0.9%
Mentions contractor or freelance terms78
39.6%
49.3%

Sample. The full descriptions of 197 of the 198 roles AfterQuery listed open on 30 Sep 2026, against 653 roles of the other platforms whose boards publish them (Braintrust, Mercor and micro1). Median years asked: 2. Median weekly hours stated: 10.

Read with the documented patterns of the requirements report (whole words, case-insensitive). A mention can be a requirement or a preference ('a PhD is a plus'): both count.

Medians of years and hours need at least 5 roles stating them; for hours the lower figure of a range counts.

Source. AITraining.jobs Research, AfterQuery Hiring Data, September 2026 edition.

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  • 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.

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Method and definitions

The public job boards of the AI training platforms this site tracks, read every day. AfterQuery's figures come from its own public listings only; full descriptions and application forms are read where its job board publishes 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.

Other platforms
Every platform this site reads other than AfterQuery, over the same window and pooled: counts are summed and medians are taken over all their rates together. AfterQuery is compared with the rest of the market, not with a market that includes it.
Rank
Its place among the platforms with open roles on the last day of the window, highest first (longest first for days listed). Shares need at least 10 open roles, a pay median 3 distinct advertised rates and days listed 10 removed roles, so a platform below a threshold is not ranked on that measure.
Open role
A role listed by a given day and still in its platform's feed that day. Week by week, open roles are counted at the end of each week (Sunday, UTC).
Back catalogue
The roles already listed in the week a platform was first tracked. That week is marked in the weekly series and its roles are not counted as new listings; weeks before it are left out.
New listing
A role that first appeared during the window on a platform already tracked before that week.
Removed listing
A role that left its platform's feed during the window. When most removals or new listings fall on one day, the figure says so: one large change to a board moves the window's flow.
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 with a known listing date.
Advertised pay
Measured exactly as the job board measures any list of roles, so a median here is the median AfterQuery's pay page states for the same roles: one sample per distinct advertised rate (the middle of a stated range; a role posted again at the same rate counts once), and an advertised maximum ("up to $X/hr") is a ceiling, not a rate, so it is counted and left out. Typical pay is the 25th percentile of what roles pay (the middle of each advertised range) to the 90th-percentile advertised ceiling; it and the median are rounded to $5 ($1 under $20) and need at least 3 distinct rates.
Compared within the same kinds of work
For each kind of work where both the platform and the other platforms state at least 8 distinct hourly rates, its median over theirs, minus one; averaged across those kinds, weighted by the platform's distinct rates, so a platform listing better-paid work is not read as paying more for the same work. It needs two such kinds.
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.
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. Every kind links to its own page.
Title word, language, field
Read from titles as whole words with the vocabularies of the job titles, languages and expert fields reports; a title can count for several.
Mention
A description mentions a degree, credential, step or term when it contains one of the patterns published in the requirements report. A mention may be a requirement or a preference.
Application form
The fields an applicant fills in on the platform's own application page, read from its applicant-tracking system. Required: the form will not submit without the field.
Window
Live: the last 28 complete days, in UTC, with the weekly series over the last twelve complete ISO weeks from the week of 3 Aug 2026 at the earliest. Edition: one calendar month, in UTC, its weeks cut at the month's edges.

What this data cannot tell you

  • Platforms that recruit without a public job board are not counted, and a platform may staff projects it never lists: its listings are what it advertises, not everything it hires for.
  • A listing is not a hire. Some platforms keep evergreen roles open for months, and some post one listing per language or country.
  • Listings only: how many people apply to a platform is never published here.
  • Pay is what postings advertise, not what workers are paid after bonuses, tiers or rejected tasks.
  • Full descriptions and application forms are published by some job boards only, so those figures appear only for the platforms whose boards publish them, and describe the roles open on the day they were read.
  • A removed listing may have been filled, paused or closed: platforms do not say which.

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). AfterQuery Hiring Data, September 2026 edition. https://www.aitraining.team/research/afterquery-hiring-data/2026-09

BibTeX

@misc{aitrainingjobs_afterquery_hiring_data_2026_09,
  author = {{AITraining.jobs}},
  title = {AfterQuery Hiring Data, September 2026 edition},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://www.aitraining.team/research/afterquery-hiring-data/2026-09}},
}
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