PwC's global chairman Mohamed Kande does not believe that companies adopting AI are laying off: Companies are increasing the number of employees that they need because...
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Forget the doomsday predictions: PwC Global Chairman Mohamed Kande just dropped a bombshell at VivaTech, asserting that companies aren't laying off workers due to AI adoption; they're actually increasing headcount. His rationale? Embracing AI demands bigger, more skilled teams that possess 'superpowers'. But there's a significant catch for young workers: the firm's latest 2026 Jobs Barometer reveals entry-level roles are flatlining and undergoing a dramatic 'seniorisation', effectively squeezing new talent out of the evolving AI-driven labor market. Kande argues that AI acts as a productivity multiplier, making employees more valuable and emphasizing the critical importance of distinctly human soft skills like judgment, emotional intelligence (EQ), and collaboration in an AI-augmented world. The PwC 2026 Jobs Barometer, which analyzed over a billion job advertisements globally, backs up the headcount claim, showing AI-exposed companies have seen a 52% increase in headcount since 2018, alongside a 24% wage rise, significantly outpacing less exposed firms. However, the report also highlights a stark dual-track labor market, where traditional entry-level positions, often rich in repetitive or data-intensive tasks, have largely stalled, while 'seniorised' junior roles demanding advanced skills have grown 35% between 2019 and 2025. PwC itself plans to reduce entry-level hiring in the US by a third over the next three years to reflect this shift. This evolving landscape demands a fundamental rethink for both job seekers and educational institutions. Young professionals now need to cultivate higher-order cognitive and interpersonal skills much earlier in their careers to meet the elevated expectations of 'seniorised' entry-level positions. Simultaneously, a critical talent shortage for specialized AI engineers persists, as firms like PwC struggle to find qualified candidates, signaling a desperate need for targeted upskilling and reskilling initiatives to bridge the widening capabilities gap.