New research from Revelio Labs, a workforce analytics company that leverages data from millions of public professional profiles and job postings, finds that hiring and salaries for higher-paid occupations are now growing faster than for lower-paid occupations.
The researchers linked the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence and automation pressures to this bifurcated “K-shaped economy” where demand for high-wage jobs has remained strong since 2023, while demand for low-wage jobs has not, the researchers said.
Demand for high-wage jobs (salaries over $100,000 a year) has grown by about 150% over the past two years, albeit stagnating in 2025. Demand for low-wage jobs (paying $30,000 or less per year) has steadily decreased by over 50% since January 2023, the researchers said.
There also has been a reversal of the post-pandemic trend when wages in lower-paid occupations were growing faster. Since 2023, the top quartile of salaries has grown by over 30% since January 2023, while the bottom quartile has seen a mere 10% increase.
The report said automation gains over the past few years are disproportionately suppressing wage growth in lower-paid occupations, particularly those involving predictable, repetitive tasks that machine-learning systems can increasingly perform.
“Roles seeing the slowest wage gains tend to be those where employers are investing most heavily in AI,” the report said. “By contrast, the same relationship is much weaker for higher-paid roles, where wage growth has been driven by continued demand for specialized and technical talent.”
As AI adoption accelerates, these divergences may grow sharper, the researchers said.
