More than a quarter (27%) of UK workers are worried that AI could result in them losing their jobs in the next five years, according to a survey of thousands of employees.
According to international recruitment company Randstad’s annual review of the world of work, two-thirds (66%) of UK employers reported investing in AI in the past 12 months, while more than half (56%) of workers said more companies are encouraging the use of AI tools in the workplace.
According to a Randstad survey of 27,000 employees and 1,225 organizations in 35 countries, there was a “mismatched AI expectations” between employees’ and their employers’ views on the impact of AI on jobs. Less than half (45%) of UK office workers surveyed believed that AI would benefit companies more than employees.
Young workers, particularly those belonging to Gen Z – those born between 1997 and 2012 – were most concerned about the impact of AI and their ability to adapt, while Baby Boomers – those born in the post-war years between 1946 and 1964 and nearing the end of their careers – showed more self-assurance.
The high level of concern expressed by young people entering the workforce may stem from the decision of many business leaders, highlighted by separate research, to invest in AI to bridge skills gaps through automation rather than training new employees. This is increasing the challenges facing young workers at a time when the labor market is cooling.
The survey showed that the increasing use of AI and automation in businesses is increasingly replacing “low-complexity, transactional roles”, which could help alleviate labor shortages in some industries by increasing productivity.
Nearly half (55%) of UK workers surveyed said AI had a positive impact on their productivity, with employers saying the same.
Randstad Chief Executive Sander Van ‘t Noordende said, “AI is not a rival to labor; it should be seen as the key to enhancing tasks and highlighting the importance of roles that only people can perform.”
“We must close the ‘AI reality gap’. While businesses are racing to adopt new ways of working, our data shows that one in five talents believe AI will have a limited impact on their work and almost half see it as more beneficial to the company than to themselves. This leaves them vulnerable to both their careers and the value they can add to organisations.”
The pace of AI adoption in the workplace is also having an impact on workers around the world. Four out of five workers believe AI will impact their daily work tasks, while the survey found that job vacancies requiring “AI agent” skills have increased by 1,587% over the past year.
Jamie Dimon, the boss of US bank JPMorgan, told an audience at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week that governments and businesses must step up to help workers whose roles have been displaced by technology, or risk “civil unrest”.
