Two futures for jobs in an AI era: 2026 Global AI Jobs Barometer——Hong Kong analysis

July 2026

PwC’s 2026 Global AI Jobs Barometer analyses over a billion job ads from six continents to reveal that AI is creating a two-track labour market in which skills like judgement and leadership are even more critical–and more rewarded. AI is driving big productivity gains for companies and–perhaps surprisingly–companies making the biggest gains are raising wages and headcount faster than companies least exposed to AI. 

The report reveals a strong rebound in AI hiring in Hong Kong during 2025, alongside notable regional trends. AI job postings increased by 50% year-on-year from 2024 to 2025, raising their share of total job postings from 3.6% to 4.7%. Despite remaining below the 2023 peak, the trend indicates renewed demand for AI skills.

According to The Barometer, which analysed over one billion job advertisements worldwide across six continents, every sector in Hong Kong experienced growth in the proportion of AI jobs in 2025 compared to 2024. Technology, Media, and Telecoms (TMT) companies remain at the forefront of AI job listings, highlighting their strong digital focus, while the Professional Services sector saw the largest rise, with a 2.1 percentage point increase in share during 2025.

The AI market growth in Hong Kong aligns with broader international trends, where jobs requiring AI-augmented skills—such as judgement, creativity, and leadership—are expanding eight times faster than the general market. This rapid acceleration underscores the importance of local efforts to ensure employees effectively utilise AI and maintain global competitiveness. Between 2021 and 2025, roles with high AI involvement have undergone the fastest skill transformations, while lower-exposure roles are adapting more gradually.

AI user roles dominate the AI-related job market, doubling with around 6,900 new positions in 2025, whereas AI developer roles grew more modestly by 87 jobs (1.3%), indicating Hong Kong’s focus on AI application and integration rather than core AI development. Notably, AI user roles account for over 80% of AI-related jobs in both Professional Services and TMT sectors, reflecting broad deployment, while sectors such as Government, Utilities, and Health Industries have significantly higher proportions of AI developer roles, at approximately 61%, 63%, and 65% respectively.