Demand for AI skills in the UK is on the rise, despite a global decline in job listings, according to PwC's 2025 Global AI Jobs Barometer. Job postings requiring AI skills in the UK have consistently increased from 2012 to 2022, with a slight decrease in overall AI job listings between 2023 and 2024. However, the share of AI-specific roles rose significantly, underscoring the sustained demand for AI capabilities across various sectors.
The industries with the highest demand for AI skills include information and communication, financial services, professional services, and health and social care. In health and social care, job postings grew from 0.5% in 2023 to 1.1% in 2024. Technical skills, such as machine learning, are in high demand, as are skills that complement AI or are difficult for AI to do, like sports coaching or ecological restoration.
Jobs requiring AI skills also come with a significant wage premium, with an average premium of 14%. Database designers and administrators with AI skills can expect a 58% premium, while lawyers with AI skills can expect a 27% premium.
The report also highlights the impact of AI on productivity growth, with sectors more exposed to AI seeing an almost fivefold increase in productivity growth globally. In the UK, productivity in AI-exposed sectors is marginally above the global average.
As AI continues to transform the job market, occupations with high AI exposure are experiencing significant changes in skill requirements. Employers are prioritizing skills over formal degrees, with degree requirements decreasing notably for jobs exposed to AI. This shift underscores the need for workers to adapt and build new skills to remain relevant in the job market.
