PwC's 2026 Global AI Jobs Barometer indicates a significant trend: companies most exposed to AI are expanding their workforces at a much quicker pace than their less AI-involved counterparts. Between 2018 and 2025, the top 25% of large, global companies with high AI exposure saw their headcounts rise by over 50%. This contrasts sharply with the 25% of companies least exposed to AI, which experienced a headcount growth of approximately 36% during the same period. This suggests AI is primarily fueling growth and spurring hiring, rather than leading to widespread job losses through automation.
Beyond headcount, these AI-intensive companies are also seeing other substantial benefits. They achieved a 47% larger gap in productivity growth and a 37% larger gap in wage growth compared to the least AI-exposed businesses. Wages at the most AI-exposed companies grew 24% faster, versus 17% at the least exposed. This highlights a divergence in the labor market, with 'super-star companies' most integrated with AI achieving average labor productivity gains of 163% since 2018, significantly outpacing other businesses.
The report also identifies a 'two-track' labor market. 'Professionalized' roles, where AI amplifies human expertise, are seeing greater growth in both headcount and wages. For example, specific AI skills are in high demand, with related job postings growing almost eight times (69%) faster than the overall jobs market (9%). The average wage premium for these AI skills has reached 62%. Entry-level roles exposed to AI are seven times more likely to require senior-level skills like judgment and leadership, and these roles have grown 35% since 2019, while other entry-level positions declined by 10%.
