Artificial intelligence is not eliminating jobs — it is transforming them. According to the newly released PwC 2025 Global AI Jobs Barometer, AI is driving a dramatic rise in productivity, wages, and even the number of jobs across industries traditionally viewed as vulnerable to automation.
Based on an analysis of nearly one billion job ads and thousands of corporate financial reports spanning six continents, the report delivers one of the most comprehensive snapshots to date of AI’s global impact on the workforce.
Productivity Surge and Revenue Growth
The Barometer reveals that since the acceleration of generative AI in 2022, productivity growth in AI-exposed industries has surged. In sectors such as financial services and software publishing, productivity growth quadrupled from 7% between 2018 and 2022 to 27% between 2018 and 2024. In contrast, industries with low AI exposure, such as mining and hospitality, saw productivity growth slip from 10% to 9%.
This impact is also reflected in financial performance. In 2024, AI-exposed industries reported three times higher growth in revenue per employee compared to less AI-exposed sectors.
Carol Stubbings, PwC’s Global Chief Commercial Officer (Credit: PwC)
Carol Stubbings, PwC’s Global Chief Commercial Officer, noted that this research demonstrates the power of AI to deliver results for businesses — and that we are only at the beginning of the transformation. “As we roll out Agentic AI at enterprise scale, we are seeing that the right combination of technology and culture can create dramatic new opportunities to reimagine how organisations work and create value” she said.
Job Growth Defies Expectations
Contrary to fears of mass job losses, PwC’s data shows that job numbers are rising across nearly every type of AI-exposed occupation — even in highly automatable roles. While occupations with lower AI exposure experienced job growth of 65% between 2019 and 2024, job growth remained robust at 38% in occupations more exposed to AI.
Among highly exposed occupations, both automated roles (where AI performs certain tasks) and augmented roles (where AI enhances human work) are seeing employment gains. Interestingly, augmented jobs are generally expanding faster, as organizations leverage AI to empower employees rather than replace them.
Joe Atkinson, PwC’s Global Chief AI Officer, observed that the data counters concerns about AI-driven job destruction. “AI is amplifying and democratizing expertise,” he explained, “enabling employees to multiply their impact and focus on higher-level responsibilities. With the right foundations, both companies and workers can re-define their roles and industries and emerge leaders in their field, particularly as the full gambit of applications becomes clearer.”
Wage Premiums Soar, Skills in Flux
One of the most striking trends revealed by the Barometer is the growing wage premium associated with AI skills. Jobs requiring AI expertise now offer an average wage premium of 56% — a sharp rise from 25% the previous year — when compared to similar roles without AI skills. Wages are also growing twice as fast in AI-exposed industries compared to less-exposed ones, and this trend is evident across both automatable and augmentable roles.
However, this transformation is also accelerating the need for new skills. The skills sought by employers in AI-exposed occupations are now changing 66% faster than before, up from 25% last year. At the same time, employer demand for formal degrees is declining. The percentage of augmented roles requiring a degree dropped from 66% to 59% between 2019 and 2024, while in automated roles, the decline was even steeper — from 53% to 44%.
Pete Brown, PwC’s Global Workforce Leader, cautioned that AI’s rapid advance is fundamentally altering the workforce and the skills required. He stressed that this is not a challenge employers can solve simply by recruiting talent. “Even if they can pay the premium required to attract talent with AI skills, those skills can quickly become out of date without investment in the systems to help the workforce learn” he said.
Addressing Gender Gaps and Building Trust
The report also highlights a notable gender dynamic: in every country analysed, more women than men are employed in AI-exposed roles. This suggests that the pressure to adapt to shifting skills requirements may fall disproportionately on women, making targeted strategies to support female talent in this transition all the more critical.
The Business Imperative
PwC emphasizes that businesses must act now to integrate AI into the core of their operations. Rather than treating AI solely as an efficiency tool, companies should view it as a catalyst for enterprise-wide transformation. Success will depend on prioritizing Agentic AI, equipping employees with future-proof skills, and fostering a culture of trust.
The 2025 Global AI Jobs Barometer makes one thing clear: AI is already reshaping the world of work. Organizations that embrace this shift thoughtfully and strategically will be best positioned to thrive in the years ahead.
