For years, the biggest fear around artificial intelligence was that it would replace millions of white-collar workers. But according to PwC Global Chairman Mohamed Kande, the reality may be more complicated as AI is shrinking some entry-level opportunities while creating demand for workers with stronger skills and new expertise.
Entry-level jobs are changing, not disappearing
One area where AI is already having an impact is junior hiring. Entry-level roles often involve repetitive, research-heavy and data-intensive work, the kind of tasks AI can now handle efficiently.
PwC’s 2026 Global Jobs Barometer found that AI-exposed entry-level roles have largely stalled globally. PwC itself plans to reduce entry-level hiring in the US by a third over the next three years.
However, not all junior jobs are declining. In the US, AI-exposed entry-level roles that added more advanced, traditionally senior-level skills grew 35% between 2019 and 2025. Meanwhile, comparable entry-level jobs that did not evolve with higher skill requirements fell 10%.
This shows that companies are still hiring young workers, but they increasingly expect them to contribute at a higher level from day one.
Companies are searching for new kinds of talent
AI is also changing the types of professionals firms want to recruit. In February, PwC’s US business launched a dedicated engineering career track, the first major path outside the accounting and consulting roles traditionally associated with the firm. Speaking to the BBC in November, Kande said the company is “looking for hundreds and hundreds of engineers. We just cannot find them.”
AI-heavy companies are hiring more people
The findings come from PwC’s latest jobs barometer, which analyzed more than one billion job advertisements worldwide. According to the report, companies most exposed to AI have actually expanded their workforce faster than those less affected by the technology. Headcount at highly AI-exposed companies has grown 52% since 2018, compared with 36% at less-exposed firms.
Workers at these companies are also seeing stronger pay growth. Wages rose 24% at the most AI-exposed organizations, versus 17% at those with lower AI exposure.
PwC said this is creating a growing divide between businesses using AI to boost employee productivity and those that have been slower to adopt the technology.
AI gives workers “superpowers,” says PwC chief
Speaking to CNBC’s Squawk Box at the VivaTech conference in Paris, Kande stated that AI is making employees more valuable rather than less. Companies adopting AI “at scale” are increasing their headcount, not cutting it, he said. “They’re increasing the number of workers that they need because they are embracing AI.”
Kande also said employees become more effective when they use AI, describing the technology as giving workers “superpowers.” In the future, he believes skills such as emotional intelligence, judgment and collaboration will become even more important. AI will undoubtedly reshape many jobs, Kande said it is unlikely to replace them outright. Instead, the technology will change how work gets done and what employers expect from the people they hire.