Key Takeaways:
The crypto industry is seeing a surge in hiring, with new data showing a 60% increase in job postings over the past year.
Some of the most sought-after roles include blockchain devs, smart contract engineers, and ZK cryptographers, with salaries of up to $300,000 per year.
While the U.S. and Europe still dominate, crypto hiring is increasingly global, with emerging talent pools in areas like Vietnam, Nigeria, and the UAE.
The crypto industry is seeing a surge in hiring, spurred by institutional buy-in, the bull market, and favorable regulations. New data from CryptoJobs shows a 60% year-on-year increase in job postings across the crypto sector.
Napoleon IT, a recruitment firm that works with major blockchain clients globally, posted an even bigger jump (65%) in demand for crypto-related talent over the past year.
Job site Glassdoor reports that crypto job listings climbed 118% over the same period. Industry experts say the growth is due to the volume of jobs and the diversity and specialization of roles now in demand.
“The key drivers behind this increase go beyond the usual demands of a typical bull market structure,” Anastasiya Titova, head of HR at Napoleon IT, told Cryptonews.
“There is a broader structural shift in how blockchain technologies are being utilized across various industries, especially in the traditional finance space,” she added.
The total global crypto market capitalization has surged by nearly 60% to $3.3 trillion since the 2021 bull market, according to CoinMarketCap.
The growth is in part thanks to the re-election of self-proclaimed Crypto President Trump, as well as the mainstreaming of Bitcoin via spot exchange-traded funds. As the crypto market expanded, there has been a corresponding increase in job creation.
What’s Fueling the Crypto Jobs Boom?
Unlike the 2021 bull run, it’s not just decentralized finance (DeFi) or non-fungible tokens driving the crypto hiring craze. As Titova explains:
“The rise of Layer 2 ecosystems, zero-knowledge rollups, modular chains, and the integration of L1 technologies into traditional financial systems has opened up a new wave of infrastructure development for the Web3 ecosystem.”
The tokenization of real-world assets and the crossover between AI and blockchain are also driving demand for entirely new skill sets, she added. Institutional adoption is another major catalyst.
“The increased involvement from corporations and sovereign funds is bringing the required liquidity and stable capital inflow into the crypto space, once powered by retail momentum and VC funding,” Titova says.
DeFi’s influence on recruitment appears to have been slowed by “mature governance models and AI-powered automation tools.” Meanwhile, privacy-related tech has also become an important driver of growth.
Brian Gabby is the founder of Brian Simon Associates, a recruiting firm that focuses on public relations and digital marketing in crypto. Speaking to Cryptonews, Gabby said the surge in hiring is driven by growth in four key areas of the crypto ecosystem:
Infrastructure and trading: Trading firms and crypto exchanges are aggressively staffing up, especially among quant traders and weekend operations.
Blockchain and smart contracts: There’s an increase in demand for developers fluent in Solidity, Rust, Ethereum, and cross-chain tooling.
Compliance and legal: As regulatory frameworks solidify globally, firms are hiring compliance officers, policy specialists, and regulatory legal experts.
Marketing, PR, and growth: Agencies and in-house teams supporting crypto clients are seeking talent for community, content, and public relations strategies.
A Shift from Generalists to Specialists
The nature of crypto hiring has changed sharply since 2021. Back then, says Titova, most hiring focused on what she called “generalists”, solidity developers, community managers, and Web3 marketers.
Now, the market is far more specialized. “We are building teams that combine deep technical knowledge with expertise and experience in cryptography, AI, tokenomics, and behavioral UX design,” she explained.
New roles like ZK cryptographers, modular blockchain architects, prompt engineers, and AI agent developers have emerged, reflecting the sector’s “shift from experimentation to operational excellence.” Continuing, Titova said:
“Regulatory pressure is also influencing hiring patterns. There is also rising interest in compliance tech roles, especially for those who can translate regulatory logic into smart contracts or automated flows.”
Gabby, the Brian Simon Associates (BSA) founder, said the current demand for crypto talent is “absolutely stronger” than a few years ago, and hiring is expanding beyond engineering.
While 2021 “focused heavily on development jobs,” he says, “today’s hiring is cross-functional,” with new roles emerging, including technical writers, who prepare white papers and other Web3 documents.
The 20 Most In-Demand Crypto Jobs in 2025
Here are the 20 most sought-after roles in the crypto industry right now, based on Napoleon IT’s hiring patterns, CryptoJobs data, information provided by Brian Simon Associates, and job site trends.
Blockchain developers: Blockchain architects are at the heart of building decentralized crypto systems. Key skills required include protocol design, building or optimizing rollups, and modular blockchain infrastructure. The average annual salary for blockchain developers in the U.S. ranges from $150,000 to $210,000.
Smart contract engineers: Demand for smart contract developers is high. Key skills include Solidity, Rust, Web3.js, EVM, and Vyper. Annual salary averages $160,000 to $250,000 for senior positions. Entry-level smart contract developers can earn $80,000 per year.
Zero-knowledge cryptographers: Scarce ZK specialists command premium interest. Key requirements are expertise in ZK proofs, cryptography, and privacy protocols. Salary can reach $300,000 per year.
Crypto Trader/Quant trader: Quant traders use quantitative analysis to find trading possibilities for thousands of assets. Key skills include advanced knowledge in finance, mathematics, and computer programming. Annual salary ranges from $120,000 to $250,000, often with performance bonuses.
Compliance officer/Legal counsel: Key requirements include regulatory frameworks, smart contract compliance, and other legal issues. The salary range is $110,000 to $190,000 per year, depending on experience.
Blockchain security engineer: Key skills include smart contract audits, penetration testing, and risk assessment. Annual salary — $150,000 to $230,000.
Crypto risk manager/Analyst: Key skills include knowledge of blockchain tech, financial principles, and risk management strategies. According to BSA, salaries average between $100,000 and $160,000 per annum.
On-chain data analyst: Napoleon IT says data-focused roles have grown substantially, with on-chain analysts and Dune dashboard creators becoming central to many protocol operations. Key skills: Dune analytics, SQL, and data visualization. Annual salary: $110,000 to $180,000.
AI & blockchain integration engineer: Key skills include AI or machine learning knowledge, smart contract integration, and automation. Salary can reach $300,000 annually, depending on experience and project scope.
Crypto analyst/researcher: Key skills — financial and technical analysis, blockchain tech, data analysis, and risk management. Salary range per year —$95,000 to $150,000.
Technical writer/Developer advocate: Key requirements include Web3 documents, white papers, community building, and education. Annual salary: $70,000 to $130,000.
Marketing/PR manager: Key skills include communication, technical understanding of blockchain, and strategic thinking. Annual salary — $90,000 to $160,000.
Community manager/Growth lead: Key skills include DAO governance, incentive programs, cross-chain growth, social media, and grassroots marketing. Salary ranges from $80,000 to $140,000 per year.
Product manager (DeFi/Web3): Key skills include expertise in DeFi, product strategy, and agile management. Annual salary: $120,000 to $200,000.
DevOps engineer (Web3): Key skills include CI/CD (continuous integration and continuous deployment), cloud infrastructure, validator setups, and scalability solutions. Annual salary: $130,000 to $190,000.
UX/UI designer (Web3): Key requirements: deep understanding of Web3 behavior, Figma (a design tool), and user research. Annual salary can reach $90,000 to $150,000.
Token economist/Tokenomics lead: Key skills include game theory, economic modeling, and incentive design. Annual salary: $130,000 to $210,000.
Business development manager (Crypto): Key skills include knowledge of crypto and blockchain tech, communication, and negotiation. Annual salary — $90,000 to $160,000.
Customer support specialist (Crypto): Key skills include communication, adaptability, and creativity. Annual salary: $60,000 to $90,000.
Operations manager (Crypto Ops): Key skills include expertise in finance, blockchain tech, regulatory compliance, and risk management. Annual salary: $80,000 to $140,000.
Titova, the Napoleon IT head of HR, said the structure of remuneration packages has changed drastically in recent times as firms adopt a hybrid model “combining fiat, vested tokens, and performance-based bonuses.”
Salaries for top-tier roles — smart contract engineers, token economists, senior compliance — have also risen 15% to 25% in the past year, according to the BSA’s Gabby.
AI Is Changing How Crypto Hires
One of the biggest shifts in 2025 is using artificial intelligence (AI) in recruitment across the Web3 sector. According to Titova, Napoleon IT uses AI to assess not just the job seeker’s technical skills but also team fit, ability to work in decentralized environments, and adaptability.
She says AI-driven profiling allows the firm to evaluate a developer’s Git history and open-source contributions — a criterion that “goes far beyond what traditional resumes can offer.” Titova detailed:
“The AI-led shift is helping crypto organizations hire more precisely, build better-balanced teams, and spot valuable, undervalued, and emerging talent across the industry.”
Regionally, the U.S. and Europe still dominate crypto hiring, but the market is increasingly global.
“We’ve seen a 30% uptick in hiring outside traditional hubs,” Titova says. “We noticed that global diversity directly improves both product quality, security thinking, and consumer relatability.”
Southeast Asia (Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam), Latin America (Argentina, Brazil), Africa (Nigeria, Kenya, Southern Africa), and the Middle East (UAE, Saudi Arabia) are emerging as vital talent pools, especially for developers, product managers, and ecosystem builders.
India remains a powerhouse for protocol and security engineering, while Eastern Europe leads in zero-knowledge research.
The post 20 Most In-Demand Crypto Jobs in 2025 and How Much They Pay appeared first on Cryptonews.
