Prompt Engineering Jobs in 2026: What Does a Prompt Engineer Actually Do?

The standalone "Prompt Engineer" title has declined 30% since 2023. The underlying skill now appears in 78% of AI-related job postings. The work did not disappear. It got absorbed into AI Engineer, LLM Engineer, and LLMOps roles. This guide covers what the work actually involves, the salary by level, the tools employers hire for, and the step-by-step path to your first role.