Companies spending the most on AI are growing jobs, Ramp study finds

Finance Companies spending the most on AI are growing jobs, Ramp study finds A new study from Ramp found companies making the biggest investments in AI are expanding their workforces, with heavy adopters increasing headcount by about 10% and entry-level hiring by 12%, challenging fears that generative AI is already causing widespread job losses. By Margaux Nijkerk | Edited by Nikhilesh De Jun 30, 2026, 8:21 p.m. 2 min read Make preferred on Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Make preferred on Summary Show Ramp analyzed more than 21,500 U.S. companies and found firms with the highest AI spending grew employment by roughly 10% and entry-level hiring by 12%, while low-intensity AI adopters saw no significant employment gains. The researchers caution the findings show correlation, not causation, noting AI adopters were already larger, faster-growing and more technical firms, but argue the results suggest AI investment is currently complementing workforce growth rather than replacing workers. Ramp, a financial operations platform, said companies making the largest investments in artificial intelligence are expanding their workforces rather than shrinking them, according to a new study that challenges the narrative that generative AI is already driving broad-based white-collar layoffs. The report, conducted with labor market analytics firm Revelio Labs, analyzed AI spending and employment records for 21,559 U.S. companies between 2021 and early 2026, citing Ramp transaction data. By linking corporate payments to AI vendors with workforce data, the researchers found that firms with the highest AI spending intensity increased employment by roughly 10% after adopting AI, while low-intensity adopters saw no statistically significant change. Entry-level employment also rose about 12% among heavy adopters. The findings stand in contrast to warnings from some technology and banking executives that AI will rapidly eliminate office jobs . Instead, Ramp argues that companies making sustained investments in AI are using the technology to grow, with hiring gains extending beyond engineering into sales, administration, finance and customer service roles. The study also found those gains emerged gradually over six to 12 months, suggesting firms require time to integrate AI into workflows before realizing productivity gains. The researchers caution that AI adopters are not representative of the broader economy. Companies adopting AI were already larger, faster-growing, more technical and more likely to be venture-backed before deploying the technology, making simple comparisons with non-adopters misleading. To account for that, the study compares early adopters with similar firms that had not yet adopted AI rather than firms that never adopted it. The report also found AI adoption remains concentrated in knowledge-intensive industries. Information companies posted the highest adoption rates, followed by finance and professional services, while sectors such as hospitality, arts and healthcare lagged significantly behind. Ramp said its research is among the first to combine observed corporate AI spending with firm-level workforce records, allowing researchers to measure AI adoption based on actual purchases rather than surveys or occupational exposure estimates. The company defines adoption as three consecutive months of at least $100 in AI vendor spending, with adoption intensity measured by AI spend per employee during the first three months after deployment. The authors say the results should not be interpreted as proof that AI causes hiring, but rather as evidence that firms making substantial, sustained AI investments are currently growing faster than comparable companies. They argue the findings suggest AI's early economic impact may be less about replacing workers and more about enabling expansion at companies able to integrate the technology effectively. 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