Concerns about AI's impact on jobs are higher among young people, reports report

 Concerns about AI's impact on jobs are higher among young people, reports report

Four in five workers believe that artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace will affect their day-to-day operations.

Generation Z workers are the most concerned as companies increasingly rely on AI chatbots and automation, according to a survey released Tuesday by Randstad.

According to Randstad's annual WorkMonitor report, job ads requiring “AI agent” skills increased by 1,587 percent. Survey data indicates that AI and automation are gradually replacing less complex, transactional jobs.

Randstad, one of the world's largest recruitment agencies, surveyed 27,000 workers and 1,225 employers in 35 markets and analyzed more than 3 million job advertisements for this report.

Why is it important?

As consumer sentiment weakens, companies around the world are accelerating job cuts, putting enormous pressure on the labor market. This situation has become more complicated given that US President Donald Trump's trade war and aggressive foreign policy have seriously affected the rules-based world order.

AI-focused tech companies are beginning to replace jobs through automation, though many companies are still waiting for tangible returns from big investments in AI—investments that are expected to shape the business world for years to come.

Key words 

"Employees generally seem enthusiastic about AI ... but they also seem skeptical that companies will always focus on cutting costs and increasing efficiency," Sander van 't Noordende, Randstad's chief executive officer, told Reuters.

"Generation Z is the most anxious generation, while Baby Boomers are more confident and least concerned about the impact of AI and their ability to adapt," the report said.

About half of the workers surveyed expressed concern that early technologies like AI would benefit companies more than workers.

Similarly, there is a big difference in the attitude of employers and workers towards business performance. About 95 percent of employers surveyed expected growth this year, while only 51 percent of workers shared that optimism, according to Reuters.