AI drives productivity, wages, and job growth globally: PwC survey
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM — Artificial intelligence is driving a fourfold increase in productivity growth and delivering a 56% wage premium for workers with AI skills, according to PwC’s 2025 Global AI Jobs Barometer.
The report, based on nearly a billion job ads and thousands of company financial reports across six continents, finds that industries most exposed to AI, such as financial services and software publishing, saw productivity growth jump from 7% (2018-2022) to 27% (2018-2024).
In contrast, industries least exposed to AI, like mining and hospitality, experienced a decline in productivity growth from 10% to 9% over the same period.
“This research shows that the power of AI to deliver for businesses is already being realised. And we are only at the start of the transition,” said Carol Stubbings, PwC’s Global Chief Commercial Officer.
“As we roll out Agentic AI at enterprise scale, we are seeing that the right combination of technology and culture can create dramatic new opportunities to reimagine how organisations work and create value.”
Job growth defies automation fears
Contrary to widespread concerns, the data does not show job or wage destruction from AI. Job availability in roles most exposed to AI grew by 38% from 2019 to 2024, even as less exposed occupations saw higher growth at 65%.
Notably, job numbers are rising in both automated roles (where AI can perform some tasks) and augmented roles (where AI enhances human work), with augmented jobs growing faster across all industries analyzed.
Joe Atkinson, PwC’s Global Chief AI Officer, noted, “In contrast to worries that AI could cause sharp reductions in the number of jobs available – this year’s findings show jobs are growing in virtually every type of AI-exposed occupation, including highly automatable ones. AI is amplifying and democratizing expertise, enabling employees to multiply their impact and focus on higher-level responsibilities.”
Skills demand shifts rapidly
The report highlights a dramatic shift in the skills employers seek. In AI-exposed roles, the pace of change in skill requirements is now 66% faster than in previous years.
Demand for formal degrees is declining, especially in jobs augmented by AI.
Between 2019 and 2024, the proportion of AI-augmented jobs requiring a degree fell from 66% to 59%, while for automated jobs it dropped from 53% to 44%.
Peter Brown, PwC’s Global Workforce Leader, warned, “AI’s rapid advance is not just re-shaping industries, but fundamentally altering the workforce and the skills required. Even if [employers] can pay the premium required to attract talent with AI skills, those skills can quickly become out of date without investment in the systems to help the workforce learn.”
Hong Kong: Rising demand for AI skills
In Hong Kong, the share of job postings seeking AI skills increased from 1.6% to 1.9% in 2024, with the Information & Communication sector leading the trend.
Public Administration and Defence saw AI-augmented jobs grow by over 50% since 2021, while Energy and Water Supply sectors posted gains above 30%.
Wilson Chow, PwC Global TMT Industry Leader and China AI Leader, said, “Rather than acting as a replacement for human creativity, AI is optimally deployed as a transformative ‘enhancer’, pushing boundaries, amplifying capabilities, to drive greater efficiency and productivity across industries.”
The business imperative
PwC’s report urges businesses to prioritize AI as a growth strategy, invest in workforce skills, and build trust to unlock AI’s full transformative potential.
