Impact of digitalization: 30% of EU workers use AI

Nine out of ten EU workers now rely on computers, mobile devices and office software to do their jobs, and 30% use AI tools, particularly AI chatbots powered by large language models (LLMs). Nearly four in ten employees (37%) in the EU have their working hours monitored.

These are the results of a new study carried out in 2024-2025 in cooperation with the European Commission's Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. The study involved 70,316 workers from all 27 EU member states and the results are published in the JRC study 'Digital monitoring, algorithmic management and the platformization of work in Europe'.

This study focuses on the use of digital tools in the workplace, including AI, and examines the prevalence and characteristics of digital monitoring, the scope and variation of algorithmic controls across the EU.

The authors outline how digitalization is impacting work dynamics, raising questions about privacy, autonomy, and work focus.

The spread of digital tools and the rise of AI

The vast majority (90%) of EU workers now rely on digital devices to carry out their work, reshaping the working environment in all sectors. The use of AI in the workplace is becoming increasingly common, with 30% of EU workers using AI, especially for text-related tasks such as writing and translation.

Writing accounts for 65% of all uses, followed by translation (59%), processing data and discussing ideas (38%), transcription (28%), image generation (27%), planning and scheduling (24%), and advising customers (19%).

The usage of AI is particularly high in Northern and Central European countries. AI adoption varies widely by job type, with office-based jobs leading the way in adoption.

Digital monitoring: Improving workers' ability to collect data

Digital surveillance is now an important aspect of surveillance in the workplace, with 37% of EU workers having their working hours monitored and 36% having their arrival and departure times monitored. Digital tools are generally used less frequently to monitor the physical location of employees or monitor employee activities.

However, the former type of surveillance is more common in sectors such as transport, construction, and manufacturing, while the latter type is commonly used in sectors such as finance, public administration, and ICT.

Beyond the two most common types of digital surveillance (working hours and swipe card entry and exit movements), there are other types of digital surveillance. Monitoring internet usage, CCTV usage, phone calls, internet usage, and vehicle location is very common in Central and Eastern European countries.

Algorithmic management: automating workforce adjustments

Algorithmic control, although less common than digital surveillance, is gaining attention and exhibits highly variable patterns across European countries and workplaces.

Our findings show that 24% of EU workers have their working hours automatically assigned. This approach is often combined with algorithms to prioritize tasks.

Another form of algorithmic management, which is currently less common but concerns 13% of EU workers, involves automatically assessing and rewarding performance.

Platformization: A new work paradigm

The study divides workers into six categories according to their degree of “platformization”, i.e. their combination of use of digital tools and exposure to digital monitoring and algorithmic control, and shows their share in the overall EU workforce.

6% do not use digital tools at all and are uninterested in any form of platforming.
33% of employees use non-platformed digital tools and are not subject to digital monitoring or algorithmic management.
42% are partially platformized, meaning they are exposed to at least one form of digital surveillance and one form of algorithmic control.
9% of employees have experienced information platformization, or the monitoring of activities and evaluation of algorithms. This occurs most often in the financial and insurance industries.
7% are facing physical platformization, mostly in sectors such as mining, transportation and logistics.
2% of EU workers are fully platformed.

Impact on working conditions

The findings suggest that complete and physical platformization is often correlated with negative working conditions, such as increased stress and decreased autonomy. In contrast, information platformization, characterized by activity monitoring and algorithmic evaluation, appears to have fewer negative impacts. It's clearly tied to working from home.

Implications for policy making and future research

Some combined forms of digital surveillance and algorithmic control should be carefully considered in terms of their potential negative impact on working conditions. This new study provides unique data for a deeper understanding of the impact of the digitalization of work and provides a valuable resource to support the European Commission's work on this issue, such as the Quality Work Roadmap and the Commission's work on algorithmic management.

The report highlights the need for concerted action by social partners and policymakers to ensure that the ongoing digitalization of operations is developed in an economically beneficial and socially responsible manner.

background

The digital transformation of work is against the backdrop of rapid technological advances and evolving EU policies aimed at fostering innovation while protecting workers' rights. The JRC Algorithmic Management and Platform Work (AIM-WORK) study and its comprehensive analysis provides a thorough and up-to-date snapshot of how the digital revolution continues to reshape Europe's world of work in deeply uneven ways.

This builds on previous JRC research and provides a broader perspective on the digitalization of work across the EU. This study highlights the importance of continued research to understand the diverse impacts of digital tools, monitoring, and AI across different sectors and geographies.