PwC’s latest Global AI Jobs Barometer suggests artificial intelligence is creating a new divide in the labour market, with companies that use AI to amplify human expertise outperforming those focused primarily on automation, while demand for leadership, judgement and creativity continues to rise.
- Amplification vs Automation
- AI Is Creating Two Distinct Paths in the Labour Market
- Human Skills Are Becoming More Valuable, Not Less
- The trend is particularly evident in entry-level positions.
- AI Leaders Are Pulling Ahead on Growth and Productivity
- The Premium on AI Skills Continues to Grow
- Organisations Must Rethink Workforce Development
- What the AI Jobs Barometer Means for Business Leaders
Amplification vs Automation
Artificial intelligence is reshaping the global workforce in ways that extend far beyond automation, according to PwC’s 2026 Global AI Jobs Barometer, which analysed more than one billion job advertisements across 27 countries and territories.
The report points to the emergence of what PwC describes as a “two-track” labour market, where some roles are becoming more valuable and human-centric as AI takes over routine tasks, while others are being simplified through AI-driven accessibility and automation.
For businesses, the findings suggest that competitive advantage may increasingly depend not only on adopting AI technologies but on how effectively organisations combine AI capabilities with human expertise.
AI Is Creating Two Distinct Paths in the Labour Market
At the centre of the report is the growing distinction between what PwC calls “professionalised” and “democratised” jobs.
Professionalised roles are those where AI acts as a force multiplier, enabling skilled workers to focus on higher-value activities such as decision-making, problem-solving and innovation. Examples include occupations such as recruiters and radiologists, where AI can automate routine processes while increasing the importance of human judgement.
By contrast, democratised roles are those where AI lowers barriers to entry, enabling non-specialists to perform tasks that previously required greater expertise.
According to PwC, professionalised roles are experiencing stronger growth across both employment and wages, with available jobs growing at twice the rate of democratised occupations and salaries increasing 42% faster.
Human Skills Are Becoming More Valuable, Not Less
One of the report’s most notable findings is the increasing importance of traditionally human skills.
Rather than reducing demand for people, AI appears to be shifting the skills organisations value most. Leadership, creativity, communication, judgement and adaptability are becoming increasingly important across a wide range of industries and job levels.
The trend is particularly evident in entry-level positions.
Analysis of 2.4 million entry-level roles in the United States found that jobs with high AI exposure are now seven times more likely to require skills traditionally associated with senior employees, including leadership, decision-making and interpersonal engagement.
Demand for these “seniorised” entry-level roles has grown by 35% since 2019, while other entry-level positions have declined by 10%.
Joe Atkinson, Global Chief AI Officer at PwC, believes the findings signal a fundamental shift in how organisations create value.
“Across the global economy, we’re beginning to see a new divide emerge between different models for talent and value creation. The companies seeing the greatest returns on AI are using it to amplify human expertise, accelerate innovation and create entirely new sources of value. As a result, they are pulling further ahead on productivity and growth than companies that focus primarily on automation.”
AI Leaders Are Pulling Ahead on Growth and Productivity
The report also highlights a widening performance gap between organisations that have successfully embedded AI into their operations and those that have not.
Companies operating in the sectors most exposed to AI recorded labour productivity growth of 34% between 2018 and 2025, compared with 24% among organisations with lower AI exposure.
Within that group, PwC identified a category of “super-star companies” that are significantly outperforming their peers. The top 20% of AI-exposed organisations achieved average labour productivity growth of 163% over the same period, nearly five times the broader average for AI-intensive businesses.
Importantly, AI adoption does not appear to be suppressing hiring. The most AI-exposed companies recorded workforce growth of 52% since 2018, compared with 36% among less AI-intensive organisations, suggesting that successful AI deployment may be creating opportunities for expansion rather than workforce reduction.
The Premium on AI Skills Continues to Grow
Demand for AI-related expertise continues to accelerate across the global labour market.
Jobs requiring specific AI capabilities, including machine learning and prompt engineering, grew by 69% compared with overall labour market growth of 9%.
The financial rewards are also increasing, as PwC found the average wage premium for workers with AI skills has climbed to 62%, up from 57% a year earlier. In some sectors, including consumer markets, the premium exceeds 100%.
Technology, media and telecommunications recorded the highest concentration of AI-related job growth, followed by professional services.
Organisations Must Rethink Workforce Development
The findings suggest organisations may need to revisit traditional approaches to workforce development and talent management.
As AI takes on more routine and administrative work, businesses may need new ways to help employees develop experience, judgement and leadership capabilities that were previously acquired through years of incremental career progression.
Pete Brown, Global Workforce Leader at PwC, said organisations must adapt their talent strategies to reflect this changing reality.
“The traditional relationship between experience and expertise is changing. AI is removing some of the routine work that once acted as an apprenticeship, while increasing demand for judgement, leadership and adaptability much earlier in careers. Organisations need to rethink how they develop talent if they want people to thrive in this new environment.”
What the AI Jobs Barometer Means for Business Leaders
For business leaders, the report reinforces a growing theme emerging across industries: the greatest value from AI may come not from replacing people, but from enhancing their capabilities.
As AI becomes more deeply integrated into business operations, organisations that successfully combine technology with human expertise appear best positioned to improve productivity, attract talent and create new sources of growth.
The challenge for many companies will be ensuring their workforce strategies evolve as quickly as their AI investments.
PwC’s latest findings suggest the future labour market may not be defined by a divide between humans and machines, but by a divide between organisations that use AI to augment human potential and those that do not.
