The number of job postings for specialist AI roles has increased significantly in the past year according to new analysis by PwC.
The firm’s AI Jobs Barometer found 180,000 such UK job postings in 2025, up 61% on the previous year, returning to levels last seen in 2022.
The analysis, based on more than one billion job adverts globally, shows that UK-based AI hiring has recovered following declines in 2023 and 2024, signalling renewed momentum in demand for AI capabilities across the economy.
Specialist AI jobs now account for 2.2% of the overall job market, up from 1.3% last year. Overall vacancies across the economy were found to have fallen by 6.6%.
PwC said the rebound in AI hiring is being driven by so-called AI user roles – specialists who apply AI effectively within a field of expertise – rather than AI developer roles. AI user roles increased by 65.8 % and now account for the majority of AI-related job demand. In contrast, developer roles grew by 21.6 %.
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Claire Reid, chief technology and innovation officer at PwC, said: “After a period of slower growth, this increased demand for AI skills is encouraging and, whilst still a relatively low proportion of the job market, it signals a step change in how organisations are adopting AI.
“The experimentation phase is over and businesses want to scale and embed the technology properly. This requires specialists who understand the art of the possible, where AI can create value in different situations, and help others do the same. There’s a difference between building an AI-literate workforce and expecting everyone to become an AI specialist overnight.”
PwC’s analysis also points to a “two-track” labour market – depending on whether AI is automating more or less expert tasks – as AI adoption accelerates. Roles where AI removes routine tasks and enables workers to focus on higher-value activities, such as judgment and decision-making, are seeing stronger growth and higher value creation.
This dynamic is reflected in growth rates: roles most enhanced by AI have grown by 39% since 2018, compared with 17% growth in roles where AI is primarily simplifying tasks, making them more accessible.
As AI reshapes jobs and workflows, demand is rising for more advanced, human skills – such as judgment, creativity and leadership – across the workforce. In the UK, the analysis shows jobs in more AI-exposed occupations are seeing faster rates of skills transformation, adapting more rapidly and reshaping capabilities required.
Analysis of 2.4 million US entry-level roles suggests this shift is particularly pronounced in early careers, where roles most exposed to AI are now seven times more likely to require traditionally senior-level skills, such as leadership, creativity and face-to-face interactions. These roles have grown by 35% since 2019, while other entry-level roles have declined by 10%.
Reid added: “The direction of travel is clear – the balance of skills is shifting towards qualities that are harder to automate, such as judgment, creativity and adaptability. For early careers, expectations are rising, but so is the need to help young people bridge the skills gap through other routes like work experience.”
PwC found that AI hiring is increasing across all sectors. Technology, media and telecoms leads on AI intensity, followed by financial services and the public sector.
It also found that wages for workers with AI skills continue to rise, with the average premium reaching 34.2%, up from 11%. This premium varies significantly by sector – peaking at 64% in consumer markets and standing at 12% in government and public sector.
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Rob Moss is a business journalist with more than 25 years’ experience. He has been editor of Personnel Today since 2010. He joined the publication in 2006 as online editor of the award-winning website. Rob specialises in labour market economics, gender diversity and family-friendly working. He has hosted hundreds of webinars and podcasts. Before writing about HR and employment he ran news and feature desks on publications serving the global optical and eyewear market, the UK electrical industry, and energy markets in Asia and the Middle East.
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