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Concerns about artificial intelligence making human work obsolete over the past three years have spread, but new research suggests that the opposition may be true. According to PWC, companies are finding that employees who use AI effectively are more valuable and are getting pay increases as a result.
Work exposed to AI is driving wage growth
Globally, wages are rising twice as fast in industries exposed to AI, that is, industries where AI can support a wide range of tasks. This is because AI-powered people can increase productivity and create greater value. Industry exposed to AI has experienced growth three times the revenue per employee.
As a result, workers with AI skills such as rapid engineering can direct a substantial wage premium. On average, they earn 56% more than their colleagues in the same roles that lack these skills. That premium has more than doubled since reaching 25% last year.
PWC researchers analyzed almost 1 billion job ads across six continents to compile data on the 2025 Global AI Job Barometer. They found that AI adoption is growing in all industries, including traditionally low-tech sectors such as mining and agriculture. All these sectors pay higher wages for AI skills.
It's a big reward, but keeping up with AI skills is a tough job
But it's not all sun and roses. Having the right AI skills can actually lead to higher wages, but these skill requirements change rapidly.
A PWC study found that the skills required to ensure an AI-exposed role changed 66% faster than other jobs than last year. This will develop new powerful AI tools, reflecting the intense races among high-tech giants like Openai and Google.
Also, it is not enough to obtain a degree that ensures roles exposed to these AIs. This is because fewer employers need them in employment ads. Between 2019 and 2024, the share of job lists requiring degrees fell from 53% to 44% for roles where AI can independently perform many of the related tasks. For jobs where AI simply helps humans perform tasks more effectively, the proportion of degrees required has also decreased from 66% to 59%.
Nevertheless, much less work in industries exposed to non-AI requires a degree – only 11% in 2024. However, the gap narrows as degree requirements decrease for both types of roles.
A PWC study found that in all countries analysed, more women were employed in roles exposed to AI than men. Therefore, as the pace of change accelerates, they may face potential challenges that keep their skills up to date and put long-term job safety at greater risk than male counterparts.
“The rapid advancement in AI is not only reshaping the industry, but fundamentally changing employees and the skills they need. This is not a situation where employers can easily escape.” “Even if they can pay the premiums they need to attract talent with AI skills, these skills can quickly become obsolete without investing in the system to help employees learn.”
Read Eweek's report on career path opportunities for AI. An average yearly salary is provided for each position.
