AI Can Lift Pay 62% Globally. In India, It Could Double Starting Salaries
‘AI will take your job’ has been the conventional narrative surrounding the rising use of artificial intelligence. However, emerging reports suggest AI is not replacing jobs; it is reshaping them. The technology is driving hiring trends, restructuring roles towards less specialised activities, and, more importantly, setting wage premiums for workers who possess AI-fluent skills.
According to PwC’s 2026 Global AI Jobs Barometer report, this wage premium has risen sharply and now stands at 62%, up from 57% in last year’s report. Economists and analysts call this the AI-wage premium, meaning the extra pay for workers with specialised AI skills.
