Firms That Spent Heavily on AI Added 10 Percent More Staff

Companies that spent an average of $33.67 per employee on artificial intelligence grew their workforces by 10.2 percent over two years, while firms spending an average of $2.78 per employee recorded little change in head count, according to new research from Ramp and Revelio Labs.

The study examined staffing and spending data at 21,559 U.S. firms. Entry-level employment at the higher-spending companies increased 12 percent during the same period.

The sample covers tech-forward companies and white-collar roles. It does not include drivers displaced by self-driving vehicles or manufacturing positions lost to automation. A lead economist at Ramp Economics Lab said the findings allow direct comparison of AI spending and staffing levels at the same firms, unlike earlier studies that examined only AI-exposed industries.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released in June found 53 percent of Americans worry AI could cost them or a household member a job. Several large companies have announced AI-related layoffs. An October Yale Budget Lab study found no discernible broad labor-market disruption since the release of ChatGPT.

Economists note that widespread effects of new technology often appear over decades. A ZipRecruiter economist said the one certainty is that jobs are changing and that flexible, fast learners remain in demand. The researchers said they have not ruled out future changes in head count and plan to update results as more data become available.