More than a quarter of UK workers fear their jobs could disappear within the next five years because of artificial intelligence, according to a major survey of employees and employers.
The research found that 27% of British workers are worried about losing their roles to AI, as companies accelerate investment in the technology. Two-thirds of UK employers said they had invested in AI over the past 12 months, while 56% of workers reported that more businesses are actively encouraging the use of AI tools in the workplace.
The findings come from an annual global review by Randstad, which surveyed 27,000 workers and 1,225 organisations across 35 countries. The report highlighted what it described as “mismatched AI expectations” between employers and staff about how the technology will affect jobs.
Just under half of UK office workers surveyed, 45%, said they believed AI would benefit companies more than employees. Younger workers, particularly those from generation Z, born between 1997 and 2012, were the most concerned about their ability to adapt to the rise of AI. By contrast, baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964 and closer to retirement, expressed greater confidence.
The higher levels of anxiety among younger workers may be linked to decisions by many employers to invest in AI and automation to fill skills gaps rather than training new staff. Separate research suggests this approach is adding to the pressures faced by those entering the workforce at a time when the UK labour market is beginning to cool.
The survey found that the increased use of AI is already replacing “low-complexity, transactional roles”, a shift that employers say can help ease labour shortages and improve productivity. Around 55% of UK workers said AI had had a positive effect on their productivity, a view shared by many employers.
“AI is not a rival to labour; it should be seen as key to augmenting tasks and highlighting the importance of roles that only people can do,” said Sander van ’t Noordende, chief executive of Randstad.
“We must close the ‘AI reality gap’. While businesses race to embrace a new way of working, our data shows that one in five talent believe AI will have a limited impact on their tasks and nearly half perceive it as more beneficial to the company than themselves. This leaves them vulnerable in both their careers and the value they can add to organisations.”
The rapid pace of AI adoption is also reshaping the global jobs market. Four in five workers surveyed believe AI will affect their daily tasks, while vacancies requiring “AI agent” skills have risen by 1,587% over the past year.
Speaking this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Jamie Dimon, the head of JP Morgan, warned that governments and businesses would need to support workers whose jobs are displaced by AI or risk “civil unrest”.