Payscale Warns of AI Skills 'Retention Time Bomb' as Compensation Structures Lag

HR Dive · United States · Sep 24, 2026

A new Payscale report finds that nearly a quarter of employers treat AI fluency as an unrewarded baseline skill, even as more than half of workers say they should earn more for developing those capabilities. With 40%+ of companies unable to find AI-skilled talent, new hires are commanding 20%–40% pay premiums that existing upskilled employees aren't receiving — a dynamic Payscale calls a potential 'retention time bomb.' Separately, a Marsh report found that over 40% of workers now believe they're more likely to get a raise by leaving and rejoining their company than by staying, up sharply from 18% in 2024.