PwC report finds AI creating a two-track labor market

PwC 2026 AI Jobs Barometer Reveals Two-Track Labor Market

Artificial intelligence is splitting the global labor market into two distinct paths, with workers whose roles are elevated by AI pulling ahead of those whose jobs are simplified by the technology, according to PwC’s 2026 Global AI Jobs Barometer released Monday.pwc

The report, which analyzed more than one billion job advertisements across 27 territories on six continents, finds that “professionalised” roles — where AI automates routine tasks and places greater emphasis on human judgment and expertise — are seeing twice the job growth of “democratised” roles, where AI makes tasks easier for non-experts to perform. Professionalised roles also saw 42% faster salary growth since 2021.pwc

AI Leaders Expand Headcount and Productivity

Far from replacing workers, companies most exposed to AI are hiring faster than their peers. The most AI-exposed firms grew headcount 52% relative to a 2018 baseline, compared with 36% at the least AI-exposed companies. A pronounced “super-star” effect has also emerged: the top 20% of AI-exposed companies achieved average labor productivity gains of 163% — nearly five times higher than the most AI-exposed firms as a whole.pwc

Wage growth at the most AI-exposed companies has also accelerated, reaching 24% relative to 2018, compared with 17% for the least exposed.pwc

AI Skills Command Growing Premium

The average wage premium for workers with AI-related skills has risen to approximately 62%, up from 57% in last year’s barometer. Jobs requiring specific AI skills are growing nearly eight times faster than the overall jobs market, with AI specialist postings surging 69% from 2024 to 2025 compared with total job growth of 8.6%.pwc

At the entry level, AI is reshaping what employers expect from junior workers. Analysis of 2.4 million US entry-level postings found that AI-exposed early-career roles are now seven times more likely to require traditionally senior skills such as leadership and strategic decision-making. These “seniorised” entry-level roles grew 35% since 2019, while other entry-level roles shrank 10%.pwc

“The experimentation phase is over and businesses want to scale and embed the technology properly,” said Claire Reid, PwC UK’s chief technology and innovation officer. “There’s a difference between building an AI-literate workforce and expecting everyone to become an AI specialist overnight.”pwc