Major PwC Survey Finds That AI Is Splitting Workers Into 4 Groups

Is AI turning you right into a “frontrunner” or are you working within the “engine room?”

An enormous survey carried out by consulting large PwC discovered that AI is permitting a small body of workers to tug away from the remainder of the workforce and dividing staff into 4 distinct classes.

The Big Four firm revealed its “2026 International Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey” on Tuesday. It surveyed virtually 50,000 staff throughout 48 nations and 29 sectors between Could and June 2026.

AI use is rising, the survey discovered. 64% of staff mentioned that they had used AI at work prior to now 12 months, up 10 proportion factors from a yr earlier, and the share utilizing generative AI each day rose from 14% to 22%.

However the survey revealed a widening divide in how staff are getting the instruments and alternatives to profit from AI.

Primarily based on the responses, PwC recognized a bunch it referred to as “front-runners,” which make up 14% of these surveyed.

The front-runners have in-demand abilities and reported getting sturdy advantages from AI of their work. Simply over half the group use generative AI daily, whereas almost 80% mentioned they’ve entry to studying and improvement assets.

Then there’s what PwC calls the “engine room” staff — 56% of staff who PwC characterizes because the core of organizations’ day-to-day supply.

Only a small variety of these staff say they use generative AI day by day, and fewer than 40% say they’ve entry to studying and improvement assets.

“They don’t seem to be getting the identical entry to studying. They don’t seem to be getting the chance to innovate. They aren’t getting to make use of AI in a significant manner,” mentioned Peter Brown, PwC’s international workforce chief.

PwC’s third class is “AI insurgents,” who make up round a fifth of workers. Their abilities are much less in demand than these of front-runners, however they’re formidable in how they use AI.

Lastly, there are the “indispensables,” who’ve scarce abilities which can be extremely valued by employers.

The end result of this divergence confirmed up in findings on job safety, workers’ confidence in asking for a promotion, belief in managers, and abilities improvement — all of which have been decrease for the engine room cohort.

The divergence between the teams is making a “two-speed” workforce, mentioned Brown.

The survey doesn’t set up the explanations behind staff’ experiences, and PwC’s employee classes are partly primarily based on respondents’ reported experiences with AI and on how in demand they imagine their abilities are.

Nonetheless, the findings level to a sensible problem for employers spending closely on the know-how and in search of ROI: shopping for instruments shouldn’t be the identical as altering work throughout a company.

Ignoring the divide between staff dangers lacking out on productiveness, income per worker, job safety, and satisfaction, Brown mentioned: “The hazard is that you simply truly might render a giant chunk of your workforce largely irrelevant on the planet of labor.”

PwC, one of many Huge 4 accounting and consulting companies, itself employs over 360,000 individuals globally and has raced to construct inner chatbots, upskill workers, and take a look at AI in consumer work.

The agency pitches itself as “client zero” for AI transformation whereas advising corporations on how you can make the same shift. Whereas the agency has made some errors alongside the way in which, Brown mentioned PwC has embraced AI, which has introduced constructive adjustments to the work and the instruments staff have entry to.

The adjustments have included rewriting PwC’s training agenda round 30 core abilities: 15 AI-centric and 15 human-centric, a change launched in February 2026. The agency has additionally reduced the number of offices its entry-level US consultants can be part of, in a bid to enhance neighborhood and studying alternatives.

Brown mentioned corporations needs to be clear about why they’re utilizing AI and the outcomes they hope to realize. “Staff aren’t anticipating leaders to, I believe, sugarcoat all the things,” he mentioned. “They only wish to perceive what’s occurring.”

“Leaders who show these type of traits and others are typically those that appear to be bringing the workforce together with them,” he added.

For employers, Brown mentioned, widening entry to AI shouldn’t be an either-or alternative between backing the front-runners and investing in everybody else.

The outcomes present that “there’s an unlimited quantity of worth there that may be tapped” if leaders can get extra of the workforce to lean in, he mentioned.