More than a quarter (27%) of UK workers are worried that their jobs will disappear over the next five years because of AI, according to a survey of thousands of employees.
Two-thirds (66%) of UK employers reported having invested in AI in the past 12 months, and more than half (56%) of workers said more companies were encouraging the use of AI tools in the workplace, according to international recruitment agency Randstad’s annual World of Work survey.
According to a Randstad survey of 27,000 workers and 1,225 organizations across 35 countries, this has led to a “mismatch in AI expectations” between employees and employers’ views on how AI will impact work. Just under half (45%) of UK office workers surveyed believed that AI would benefit businesses more than employees.
Younger workers, particularly those belonging to Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2012, were most concerned about the impact of AI and their ability to adapt, while postwar baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964 and nearing the end of their careers expressed greater confidence.
As another study found, the higher concerns expressed by young people entering the workforce can be attributed to the decision of many business leaders to invest in AI to close skills gaps through automation rather than training new employees. This adds to the challenges faced by young workers at a time when the labor market is cooling.
The study showed that the increased use of AI and automation in businesses is increasingly replacing “low-complexity transactional roles” and could help solve labor shortages in certain industries through increased productivity.
Almost half (55%) of UK workers surveyed say AI has had a positive impact on productivity, and employers agree.
“AI is not a rival to labor. It should be seen as key to enhancing work and underscoring the importance of the roles that only humans can play,” said Sander van’t Noordende, CEO of Randstad.
“We must close the ‘AI reality gap.’ As businesses rush to adopt new ways of working, our data shows that one in five talent believes AI will have a limited impact on their work, and almost half perceive AI to be more beneficial to the company than to themselves. This leaves them vulnerable both to their careers and the value they can add to their organizations.”
The pace of AI adoption in the workplace is also impacting workers around the world. While four in five workers believe AI will impact their day-to-day work, the survey found that job openings requiring “AI agent” skills have increased by 1,587% in 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 need to step in to help workers displaced by technology, or risk “social unrest”.
