AI's Role in Slowing Wage Growth Draws Increasing Scrutiny from Economists

NewsData.io · United States · Sep 13, 2026

New research, including a study from Apollo Global Management's chief economist, finds workers in AI-exposed occupations experienced real-wage growth 6.7 percentage points slower after 2023 than peers in less-exposed roles — with no significant employment effect, suggesting firms may be capturing AI productivity gains through wage compression rather than layoffs. Labor economists caution the data is preliminary and limited in scope, but agree that entry-level and lower-experience workers face the clearest near-term risk. The Dallas Fed separately warns that AI is disrupting the traditional white-collar career ladder by making entry-level codifiable tasks cost-ineffective, raising long-term concerns about how new workers gain on-the-job experience. For staffing firms, these trends signal potential downward pressure on bill rates for AI-exposed roles and softening demand for junior white-collar placements.