07/01/2026
AI’s Impact on Jobs (I think an AI helped the writers to write this story - HAH!). I really wish my father, Bob Kerley, was here for this AI stuff. He researched and studied AI before he passed away 20 years ago.
Abstract
We study how employment changes when firms adopt generative AI using observed AI spending from Ramp card and bill pay data linked to Revelio Labs workforce records for 21,559 firms in the United States. We find that companies that adopt AI tend to grow faster following adoption, but the relationship is driven almost entirely by high-intensity adopters. Firms making the largest AI investments grow employment by roughly 10% following adoption, while low-intensity adopters see no statistically significant change. Entry-level headcount rises 12% for high-intensity adopters. Gains emerge gradually and are broad across roles, including engineering, sales, administration, and customer service. They are also uneven: adopters are already larger, more technical, faster-growing firms, and sector-level gains are concentrated in Information. The results counter predictions that AI adoption will lead to broad job loss.
Key Takeaways
Firms that adopt AI grow headcount 10.2% over the two years following adoption, but these gains are entirely driven by high-intensity adopters. Low-intensity adopters see no statistically significant change.
Entry-level headcount grew even faster. At the companies making the largest AI investments, entry-level headcount grew 12% over the two years following adoption.
AI adoption and the associated gains are unevenly distributed. AI adopters are already larger, more engineering-intensive, more likely to be venture-backed, and faster-growing than non-adopters. These firms then grow faster upon adoption.
