## A Global Wave of Worker Worry

Workers worldwide are experiencing high levels of anxiety about their jobs, according to new research released this week. A massive survey from ADP Research that asked over 39,000 workers across 36 countries found something surprising: even though unemployment is at historic lows and the economy is steady, most workers are scared. Only 22% of workers globally strongly agreed that their jobs were safe from elimination, and this fear was even stronger among lower-paid workers and those at the bottom of company hierarchies. The main cause of this worry? Artificial intelligence and the fast speed at which AI tools are being added to workplaces. Workers from Tokyo to Topeka are struggling to understand what AI means for their ability to earn a living.

## Young Workers Face the Biggest Challenge

The impact isn't hitting everyone equally. Younger workers, especially those aged 22-25 who work in jobs exposed to AI, are experiencing real job losses—a 16% employment decline in that age group. This is particularly troubling because these are people just starting their careers. The research also shows that only 20% of young workers aged 18-26 strongly agree that AI will help their jobs, while older workers are even more pessimistic—only 10% of workers aged 55-64 believe AI will help them. Low-income workers face extra challenges because they have fewer resources to pay for retraining classes and can't save money if they lose their jobs. They also typically get less training investment from employers compared to college-educated workers.

## The Productivity Puzzle

Here's something confusing that researchers discovered: workers who use AI tools every day are actually feeling better and more engaged at work, yet many report feeling less productive. Daily AI users were four times more likely than those who don't use AI to say they weren't as productive as they could be. This happens for a psychological reason: AI takes over the small tasks that used to give workers a sense of daily accomplishment—like writing emails, summarizing documents, and creating first drafts. Without those quick wins throughout the day, workers feel like they've accomplished less, even when they've actually finished more important work. On the positive side, 30% of daily AI users report being fully engaged at work, compared to just 14% of workers who never use AI. Heavy AI users also experience less negative stress—only 11% feel overloaded compared to 23% of non-users.

## Job Cuts Expected to Skyrocket

Companies are planning massive changes to their workforce because of AI. According to a survey of over 700 company leaders conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research with Duke University and the Federal Reserve, AI-driven job cuts in 2026 are expected to be nine times higher than 2025, jumping from about 55,000 jobs to approximately 502,000. This means that while a large company cutting 100 jobs for AI reasons was headline news last year, the same company this year is expected to cut 900. Interestingly, the impact will be uneven across different types of jobs: job postings for routine, automatable tasks are down 17%, while postings for human-AI collaboration roles are up 22%. This suggests that if your work is a checklist of repeatable tasks, you're at high risk, but if your work requires human judgment and creativity, AI might make you more valuable.

## Skills Investment Makes All the Difference

The most important finding for workers and employers is this: companies that invest in teaching their workers new skills have much better outcomes. Workers who feel their employers are investing in their skills were 5.3 times more likely to feel their jobs were secure. Among workers who strongly agreed their employer was investing in them, 53% were fully engaged at their jobs, compared to just 12% of those who didn't feel supported. Unfortunately, the data shows that younger workers aren't getting as much training investment as older workers: only 12% of workers aged 55-64 feel their employer invests in their skills, but also only 21% of younger workers aged 18-26 report this same feeling. Researchers say this anxiety isn't inevitable—it's largely a leadership failure. When company leaders help workers understand how their current skills will be valuable in an AI-driven world and provide clear pathways for learning new abilities, workers become more confident and productive.