PwC’s Global AI Jobs Barometer 2026 finds that artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping employer demand for skills: as automatable, routine tasks decline in importance, uniquely human abilities such as sound judgment, creativity and leadership become more valuable. The report is based on analysis of over one billion job advertisements across 27 countries and regions.
Two diverging effects on jobs
The research identifies two distinct trends driven by AI. In one group of roles, AI takes over routine tasks, raising the relative importance of human expertise, complex decision-making and analytical thinking. In the other group, AI simplifies work and makes tasks accessible that previously required specialised expertise.
Specialist roles that deepen professional expertise—such as radiologists or recruitment specialists—show particularly strong labour-market dynamics: these roles have twice as many vacancies and wages in them are rising 42% faster than in jobs that AI has "democratized," such as IT service managers or medical secretaries.
Changes at entry level
AI is also reshaping entry-level positions. In a sample of 2.4 million U.S. junior job ads, roles most affected by AI are now seven times more likely to require competencies traditionally expected of senior or managerial staff, including creativity, communication and leadership. Since 2019, the number of such "seniorised" junior roles has risen by 35%, while traditional entry-level openings have fallen by 10%.
Oltyán Gábor, head of the Data & AI Platform implementation team at PwC Magyarország, noted that AI’s effects differ by experience level: juniors mainly show sharp productivity gains, while seniors see improvements in output quality and consistency.
A ‘superstar’ effect and organisational readiness
The Barometer highlights widening performance gaps between firms that intensely use AI and those that do not. In 2024, productivity in AI-intensive sectors exceeded 2018 levels by 34%, compared with a 24% increase at the least AI-intensive firms.
A ‘superstar’ phenomenon is visible among top AI adopters: the top 20% of the most AI-active companies achieved an average labour productivity increase of 163% versus 2018—nearly five times the average gain of AI-using firms. According to Oltyán Gábor, these results reflect organisational AI maturity: more prepared firms can deploy solutions faster and achieve higher returns.
AI-intensive companies also expanded headcount faster: by 2025, employment at these firms had grown 52% compared with 2018, while the least AI-affected firms recorded a 36% increase.
Record global AI wage premium
Alongside adoption, the premium for workers with AI skills climbed to a record global average of 62% in 2026, up from 57% the previous year. Differences across sectors are large: consumer markets can see premiums up to 118%, while the public sector shows around 16%.
Roles requiring specialised AI knowledge—such as prompt engineering or machine learning—grew by 69%, roughly eight times the 9% growth of the overall job market and nearly double the growth rate observed in 2024. Since 2015, AI-related positions have expanded faster than total job growth. The fastest increases were in technology, media and telecommunications (11%) and professional services (6%), while healthcare recorded below 1% growth.
Oltyán Gábor warns that the 62% global AI wage premium signals to Hungarian employers that they must offer competitive pay, development opportunities, compelling AI projects and continuous training to retain talent; otherwise they risk rising wage pressure and higher turnover.
Implications for firms and workers
Péter Lajtai, PwC Magyarország partner responsible for the Data & AI business, says AI is fundamentally changing the link between experience and expertise. With routine tasks automated—tasks that historically served as learning steps—workers must develop adaptability, judgment and leadership skills earlier in their careers. Employers need to rethink talent development and reskilling to prepare staff for an AI-shaped labour market.
About the research
The PwC Global AI Jobs Barometer analysed more than one billion job advertisements from 27 countries and regions. It combined labour-market, corporate financial and task data to examine how AI is altering job content, required skills, wages and productivity. The 2026 edition paid special attention to entry-level positions and how their skill requirements are changing.
