PwC just dropped its 2025 Global AI Jobs Barometer report. The big takeaway: AI isn’t killing jobs or cutting wages. It makes workers more valuable.
The firm analyzed 800 million job ads across six continents. Turns out, jobs and wages are rising in “virtually every” AI-impacted role — including ones AI can automate, like customer service and coding.
PwC Global Chief AI Officer Joe Atkinson told CNBC, AI is moving insanely fast, but it’s creating jobs, not destroying them. 
Carol Stubbings, PwC UK’s global chief commercial officer, added:
We know that every time we have an industrial revolution, there are more jobs created than lost. The challenge is that the skills workers need for the new jobs can be quite different.
The report busts six common myths around AI’s workplace impact:
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Productivity: Since 2022, industries embracing AI have nearly quadrupled productivity growth. Software publishing saw 3x revenue per employee growth.
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Wages: Workers with AI skills earn 56% more on average than their peers—up from 25% last year. Wages rise faster in AI-exposed sectors.
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Job Numbers: Job growth remains strong even in AI-exposed roles — 38% growth vs 65% in low-exposure jobs from 2019-2024.
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Inequality: AI jobs show rising wages and employment. Degree requirements are dropping fastest in AI-exposed roles, opening doors for many.
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Skills: AI enriches jobs by freeing workers from repetitive tasks. Example: Data entry clerks can upgrade to data analysts.
- Automation: Even highly automatable roles see rising wages and grow more complex and creative.
Atkinson sees slower job growth in AI-heavy sectors as a potential plus for countries with shrinking workforces. AI boosts productivity, fills workforce gaps, and drives business growth.
It is critical to avoid the trap of low ambition. Instead of limiting our focus to automating yesterday’s jobs, let’s create the new jobs and industries of the future.
PwC’s 2025 AI Jobs Barometer
The report calls for treating AI as a growth strategy—not just cost-cutting. Companies should upskill workers and lean into new market and revenue opportunities.
AI, if used smartly, could spark waves of new jobs and business models, says PwC. It notes that two-thirds of U.S. jobs today didn’t exist in 1940 and tech drove that shift.
Read the full PwC AI Jobs Barometer report for the data.
