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Employees who have integrated generative AI (GenAI) into their daily routines are reporting substantial benefits, including higher pay, increased productivity, and enhanced job security, according to the newly released PwC’s 2025 Global Workforce Hopes & Fears Survey. The survey, which gathered responses from nearly 50,000 employees across 48 economies and 28 industries, found that 92% of daily GenAI users reported higher productivity than 58% of infrequent users. Similarly, daily users were more likely to report improved job security (58% vs. 36%) and salary growth (52% vs. 32%). They were also more optimistic about AI’s impact across nearly all measures assessed. Pete Brown, Global Workforce Leader at PwC, said that while AI is already creating tangible benefits for early adopters, scaling these advantages requires more than technical training. “Employees using AI every day are reaping the rewards – higher productivity, greater job security and better pay,” he said. “But to scale these benefits, organisations must go beyond training. The work itself needs to be redesigned, and the human-machine partnership redefined. Getting this right will determine whether GenAI becomes a true engine of growth and inclusion, or a missed opportunity.” Despite rising usage, adoption remains modest. Just 14% of employees say they use GenAI daily—up slightly from 12% in 2024—while 54% report having used AI for their work in the past year. An even smaller share (6%) uses agentic AI daily. Yet among those who do, optimism is markedly higher: 69% of daily users feel positive about their job prospects over the next year, compared to 51% of infrequent users and 44% of non-users. The survey also highlighted a growing divide in access to learning and development opportunities. While 72% of senior executives and 66% of managers say they have the resources needed to upskill, only 51% of non-managers feel the same. Among daily AI users, 75% say they have sufficient learning support—a figure that drops to 59% among infrequent users. This disparity extends to workplace culture. Just over half (54%) of employees feel their teams treat failure as a chance to learn and grow, but this sentiment varies widely by industry—65% in technology vs. only 47% in transport and logistics. The report also pointed to growing financial stress and waning confidence across the global workforce. Over half of respondents (55%) say they are experiencing financial strain, up from 52% in 2024. Only 43% received a pay rise in the past year, and just 17% were promoted. As economic uncertainty mounts, fewer employees are pursuing career advancement: the proportion planning to seek a pay rise has fallen from 43% to 37%, while those seeking promotions dropped from 35% to 32%. READ MORE: Doing more with less: How HR can adopt GenAI without losing the human touch Non-managers remain the least optimistic—only 43% feel positive about their career prospects, compared to 72% of senior executives. Meanwhile, 35% of all employees report feeling overwhelmed at least once a week, a figure that rises to 42% among Gen Z employees. However, PwC’s research showed that alignment with leadership goals can make a measurable difference. Employees who strongly identify with their organisation’s vision are 78% more motivated than those who do not. Nicki Wakefield, Global Clients and Industries Leader at PwC, said this underscored the importance of clear communication and human-centred leadership. He said, “GenAI is already paying off for those who use it every day – with employees reporting significant boosts to productivity, job security, and pay – yet only 14% are using it daily. This isn’t just a technology story; it’s a people story. In a year of rising financial strain and many feeling overwhelmed, leaders must redesign work and provide clarity and confidence: simple everyday use cases, strong guardrails, and the skills, trust and support that turn AI from hype into real help.”
