PwC Barometer: AI Means More Rather Than Fewer Jobs

Contrary to fears, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) will increase rather than decrease the number of jobs, transforming the way people work, according to a statement sent to MTI by PwC Hungary, citing the PwC Global AI Jobs Barometer 2025 report, which found that even in the jobs most exposed to the impact of AI, the number of jobs increased by 38% between 2019 and 2024.

The authors of the study analyzed more than 1 billion job advertisements and thousands of corporate financial data on six continents.

The analysts found that in the most affected parts of industries exposed to AI, revenue per employee grew three times faster (27%) than in the least affected sectors (9%). Positions requiring AI skills commanded an average salary 56% higher in 2024 and typically offered a wage premium.

Since generative AI became widely available in 2022, productivity growth has multiplied in the sectors that use it most (e.g., financial services, software development), rising from 7% in 2022 to 27% in 2024. In contrast, in sectors less exposed to AI (e.g., mining, hospitality), productivity has virtually stagnated (10% in 2022 and 9% in 2024), and revenue growth has also been slower, they wrote.

The study highlights that in the jobs most affected by AI, the skills required by employers are changing 66% faster than a year ago. For jobs supplemented by AI, the proportion of positions requiring a degree fell from 66% to 59%, and for jobs automated by AI, it fell from 53% to 44% between 2019 and 2024.

The report notes that AI does not affect the work of both genders equally: in every country surveyed, more women work in jobs exposed to AI, so changing skill requirements may put disproportionate pressure on them.

Gyöngyi Gönczi, head of PwC Hungary's HR and organizational development consulting team, emphasizes in the announcement that artificial intelligence requires new skills and ways of thinking, as keeping pace with technological developments is only possible with systems that support continuous learning.

To ensure the effective use of AI, PwC recommends that companies build trust around it and use it not only as a tool to increase efficiency, but also as a growth strategy. This is why it is important to invest in developing employees' AI-related skills, they emphasized.