Key takeaways:
- AI is enhancing rather than replacing workers: Industries using AI are seeing 3x higher revenue per employee growth, and workers with AI skills now earn 56% wage premiums, indicating AI creates value by augmenting human capabilities.
- Workers prioritize job security and well-being over flexibility: 70% of workers now value employability over remote work, 61% prefer less stressful roles over high pay, and many have already taken pay cuts to reduce stress.
- Staffing agencies should focus on AI skills development and long-term career partnerships: Firms need to move beyond traditional job placement to become strategic workforce partners, investing in AI skills assessment, embracing skills-based hiring, and positioning themselves as enablers of long-term employability.
As artificial intelligence transforms how work gets done and creates new value for businesses, American workers are simultaneously redefining what they want from their careers. Two recent comprehensive studies — PwC’s 2025 Global AI Jobs Barometer and Randstad USA’s Workmonitor Pulse survey — provide staffing agency leaders with essential insights for navigating an evolving landscape.
AI is creating value, not just efficiency
The fear that AI would eliminate jobs en masse hasn’t materialized. Instead, PwC’s analysis of nearly a billion job postings, alongside thousands of company financial reports, reveals a more optimistic reality: AI is making workers more valuable.
Industries most suitable for AI capabilities are experiencing 3x higher revenue per employee growth compared to less AI-enabled sectors. Ever since the world began to realize AI’s potential, productivity growth in AI-ready industries has almost quadrupled. Most tellingly, workers with AI skills now command a 56% wage premium — more than double last year’s 25% premium.
Job numbers are growing in virtually every AI-exposed occupation. While growth is slower than in non-AI roles (38% vs. 65% over five years), both automatable and augmentable positions are seeing increases in wages and employment. This suggests companies are using AI to enhance human capabilities rather than simply replace workers.
Perhaps the most dramatic change is in skill requirements. In AI-exposed jobs, skills demands are changing 66% faster than in traditional roles — up from 25% just last year. Simultaneously, employer demand for formal degrees is declining faster in AI-exposed positions, creating broader opportunities for skills-based hiring.
Workers seek security over flexibility, less stress over high pay
While AI transforms the workplace, Randstad’s survey of over 750 American workers found that 70% of workers now prefer greater employability over remote work ability. This represents a fundamental shift toward long-term career security. Workers want to stay skilled, relevant, and secure in a changing job landscape more than they want location flexibility. Notably, 63% are unlikely to leave if asked to work in-office three or more days per week.
And with mental health becoming more of a priority, 61% workers prefer a less stressful role over a high-paying one, and roughly 41% have already taken pay cuts for lower-stress positions. This isn’t just about work-life balance — it’s about sustainability in an increasingly complex work environment.
Yet pay is often what keeps workers from moving on — 79% still cite pay raises as the top retention driver. But almost equally important are more personal factors like manager support in professional development (74%) and sharing the vision and values of the company leaders (74%).
Recommendations for staffing agencies
1. Reframe your value proposition
Move beyond traditional job placement to career advancement. Position your agency as a partner in long-term employability rather than just a source of immediate opportunities. Emphasize how roles will develop AI skills, provide growth paths, and enhance career security.
2. Invest in AI skills assessment and training
With AI skills commanding 56% wage premiums and demand accelerating across all industries, it may be worth building capabilities to identify, assess, and develop AI competencies in your talent pool. This includes prompt engineering, machine learning familiarity, and AI tool proficiency.
3. Broaden your talent sourcing strategy
The decline in degree requirements for AI-exposed roles creates massive opportunities. Develop skills-based assessment methods that can identify high-potential candidates who may lack traditional credentials but possess the adaptability and technical aptitude to succeed in AI-enhanced roles.
4. Quality-screen client management
Since 74% of workers value manager support, evaluate client companies’ management quality alongside job specifications. Poor management has become a deal-breaker for top talent, regardless of compensation.
5. Industry-specific positioning
What employees value most in their roles varies by industry:
- Healthcare: Emphasize management support and professional development (81% of healthcare employees prioritize this)
- Manufacturing: Focus on competitive, inflation-beating compensation (valued by 90% of manufacturing workers)
- Financial and professional services: Highlight AI skill development opportunities
- Transportation and logistics: Emphasize schedule flexibility over location flexibility
6. Embrace the “growth strategy” narrative
Help clients understand AI as a growth tool, not just cost reduction. Companies using AI only for headcount reduction miss bigger opportunities. Position your agency as helping clients build AI-enhanced teams that create new value streams rather than just performing old tasks more efficiently.
The employability-AI connection
The intersection of these trends reveals a powerful insight: workers’ desire for employability aligns perfectly with the AI skills shortage. Staffing agencies can maintain competitiveness by:
- Developing AI literacy programs for placed candidates
- Creating partnerships with AI training providers
- Building “AI-ready” talent pools for forward-thinking clients
- Positioning continuous learning as a core service offering
Both reports emphasize that we’re in the early stages of transformation. PwC notes that 70% of CEOs expect AI to transform how their companies create value, while Randstad’s data shows workers are more strategic about career decisions than ever before.
For staffing agencies to thrive, they will need to help both workers and employers navigate this transition successfully. This means moving beyond transactional placements to become strategic workforce partners — helping develop AI-ready talent, facilitating skills-based hiring, and ensuring that technology enhancement serves human advancement.
