The 97 Million AI-Jobs Prediction—Forecast vs. Present Realities

What Was Predicted (2020)

In October 2020, the World Economic Forum forecasted that by 2025, automation and AI would displace 85 million jobs across major global industries—but would also create 97 million new roles, particularly in fields like AI, cloud computing, content creation, and data analytics [See WEF response below].

What Actually Happened

Fast-forward to early 2025: the Future of Jobs Report 2025 updated the scenario. It predicts that, over the entire decade, technological and demographic trends will create around 170 million new jobs, while displacing 92 million, resulting in a net gain of 78 million jobs.

Where We Stand Today

We still don’t have a clean, global count of AI-specific jobs created—but the signs point to strong momentum:

• AI-exposed job listings in the U.S. climbed 25% year-over-year in Q1 2025, with median salaries hitting roughly $157K Forbes+10Veritone+10Edison & Black+10.

• Jobs in sectors vulnerable to AI are growing, not shrinking—AI exposure correlates with higher wage growth (56% premium) and job expansion even in automatable roles PwC.

• Meanwhile, AI-job demand continues to surge across industries, with employers—tech and non-tech alike—ramping up hiring for AI-savvy roles Edison & Black+11businessinsider.com+11ABC News+11.

World Economic Forum Weighs In

The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Future of Jobs Report, published in 2020, 2023, and 2025 editions, may offer additional context regarding forecasting and the prediction of AI Jobs.

The Future of Jobs Report’s methodology is based on a detailed global employer survey, and the stated global jobs estimate is derived by aggregating participant responses regarding workforce planning at the time the survey is conducted to extrapolate to the labour market as a whole. While the 2020 report identified AI as one key trend affecting the labour market over the 2020-25 period, it does not specifically allow for counting ‘jobs created by AI’.

However, methodological refinement in more recent editions of the Future of Jobs Report does allow for more detailed disaggregation of trends. For example, regarding AI, the 2025 edition of the report estimates a net job creation effect of 1.8 million jobs over the 2025-2030 period (see Figure 2.6, page 25, in the Future of Jobs Report 2025), with technology broadly identified as the most impactful macro trend.

Bottom Line

• The 97 million figure was a forward-looking projection, not a confirmed outcome.

• As of 2025, global projections appear to be shifting downward rather than upward.

• While the count is still being tracked, the exact number of AI-created jobs remains to be determined. However, demand is surging, wages are rising, and AI roles are multiplying across the economy.

Industry Breakdown

• Technology & Enterprise Software

  • AI hiring remains strongest here, but it's shifting toward deployment and scaling roles—think solutions architects, LLM engineers, prompt designers, and AI product managers, rather than just development.

• Design, Engineering & Manufacturing

  • According to Autodesk’s AI Jobs Report (2025), sectors such as architecture, construction, manufacturing, and media are experiencing robust AI-driven job growth, with new roles and shifting skill demands Autodesk News.

• Healthcare, Finance & Retail

  • McKinsey and Deloitte data show 40% growth in AI specialist postings in healthcare since 2020. The finance and retail sectors are also ramping up their AI hires for fraud detection, analytics, personalization, and supply chain optimization Exploding Topics+10FNLondon+10The Times of India+10Software Oasis.

• Banking & Finance

  • Banks like JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, and Citi increased AI-specific job postings by 13% in just six months as they deploy AI for automation and efficiency, even amid broader hiring slowdowns FNLondon.

Job Types That Dominated AI Hiring in Q1 2025 in the U.S.

• AI/Machine Learning Engineers lead growth—13.1% quarter-over-quarter, 41.8% year-over-year.

• Data Scientists grew 4.2% QoQ, 10% YoY.

• Other roles, like Big Data Engineers, AI/Product Managers, and AI Architects, are also gaining traction. The median salary was approximately $157,000 FNLondon+9Veritone+9lockedinai.com+9.

There is still no clear, published number for AI Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) Job Creation

What We Know: RCM + AI Adoption

• Roughly 46% of U.S. hospitals and health systems now use AI in their RCM operations, while 74% incorporate automation technologies like RPA or AI workflows to drive billing, claims processing, and overall efficiency Citrin CoopermanCitrin Cooperman+3Simbo AI+3Simbo AI+3.

• The AI in the RCM sector was valued at approximately $20.6 billion in 2024, projecting a robust 24.16% compound annual growth rate through 2030, according to Grand View Research.

What We Don't Have: Exact “AI Job Title” Counts

• There’s no formal tracking or published breakdown quantifying the number of distinct AI-related job titles added in RCM since 2020.

• Unlike broader sectors like technology or healthcare, RCM has not yet produced granular public data on job volume or title evolution.

• We can observe increased AI adoption—but correlating that to newly minted job roles remains an estimate, not a verified fact.

What Might Be Changing—Based on Broader Trends

While not RCM-specific, some industry-wide AI hiring trends hint at what's likely happening in RCM too:

• Roles like Data Scientists, AI/Machine Learning Engineers, and AI Product/Project Managers are gaining strong traction in healthcare and related sectors, with double-digit growth year over year.

  
  

What’s Real—and What’s Not

Questions	Answers
How many new AI-heavy job titles in RCM since 2020?	Not clearly documented yet.
AI adoption in RCM?	Approximately 46% of hospitals use AI, and around 74% utilize automation in RCM.
Market growth?	Estimated $20B+ spend in 2024, with ~24% CAGR through 2030.
Job trends that should be applicable to RCM?	Increase in AI Engineers, AI Analysts, AI Medical Coders (CAIMC), AI Clinical Documentation Integrity (AI CDI) type roles, and Executive AI positions.

What Should We Do Next?

• Survey RCM employers directly to understand how many roles now include AI responsibilities or titles.

• Track AI-targeted job listings in RCM and other spaces (health tech providers, billing software vendors, health systems) to spot emerging titles like “AI RCM Analyst,” “AI-driven Billing Specialist,” or “RCM Automation Manager.”

• Extrapolating from industry growth and known AI adoption rates to estimate role creation trends, especially for precise numbers that aren’t yet available.

About the Author

Corliss Collins, BSHIM, RHIT, CRCR, CCA, CAIMC, CAIP, CSM, CBCS, CPDC, serves as a Principal and Managing Consultant of P3 Quality, a Health Tech Consulting Company. Ms. Collins stays very busy working on Epic and Cerner RCM projects. She also serves as a subject matter expert and Volunteer Education Committee member for the American Institute of Healthcare Compliance (AIHC) and is a Member of the Professional Women's Network Board (PWN).

Disclosures/Disclaimers:

This 97 Million AI-Jobs Prediction—Forecast vs. Present Realities analysis draws on research, trends, and innovations in the AI in Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) industry. Some of the blog content and details are generated by AI. Reasonable efforts have been made to ensure the validity of all materials and the consequences of their use. If any copyrighted material has not been properly acknowledged, use the contact page to notify us so we can make the necessary updates. P3 Quality can identify Responsible AI in RCM Governance and Stewardship gaps, address the issues, and recommend results-driven solutions.