Survey finds global workers fear job loss even as ai users report higher engagement
Only about one in five workers strongly believe their job is safe – and that small group looks very different from the rest of the workforce, according to ADP Research’s Today at Work 2026, Issue 1.
ADP Research reports that just 22 percent of global workers strongly agreed their job was safe from elimination.
Anxiety over job loss is most acute among lower‑paid workers, those in repetitive roles and people at the bottom of the management hierarchy.
According to ADP Research, workers who feel secure in their jobs are six times more likely to be fully engaged, 3.3 times more likely to describe themselves as highly productive and twice as likely to say they have no plans to leave.
Confidence in job security rises with seniority: 18 percent of individual contributors and 21 percent of frontline managers strongly agreed their job was safe from elimination, compared with 23 percent of middle managers, 31 percent of upper managers and 35 percent of C‑suite executives.
Despite three years of historically low global unemployment and steady economic growth, “our data reveals widespread job insecurity expressed by workers worldwide,” said Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP.
Engagement levels remain low overall.
ADP Research found that 19 percent of workers reported full engagement on the job in 2025, unchanged from the previous year, meaning more than 80 percent are not fully engaged.
Workers who say their jobs are meaningful are 12.5 times more likely to be fully engaged than those who do not report that sense of meaning.
Perceptions of employer investment track closely with engagement.
Today at Work reports that 53 percent of workers were fully engaged when they strongly agreed their employer was investing in them, compared with 12 percent among those who did not feel that level of investment.
Artificial intelligence is another dividing line.
ADP Research says 20 percent of workers use AI nearly every day, 30 percent use it multiple times a week and 15 percent have never used it.
Workers who use AI frequently are more likely to say their job is safe from elimination.
Today at Work found that 30 percent of daily AI users were fully engaged, versus 14 percent of workers who never use AI.
Only 11 percent of daily AI users reported feeling overloaded or experiencing negative work stress, compared with 23 percent of non‑adopters.
At the same time, Today at Work reports that daily AI users were four times more likely than non‑users to say they felt less productive than they could be.
The analysis states that as more checklist work shifts to AI and workers move to longer‑term, strategic projects, organizations will need to rethink productivity measures, placing more emphasis on judgement, creativity, long‑term impact and decision quality over task volume.
Age shapes both skills confidence and AI sentiment.
According to ADP Research, only 18 percent of workers aged 55 to 64 and 19 percent of those 65 and older strongly agreed they have the skills needed to advance, compared with 29 percent of workers aged 18 to 26 and 30 percent of those aged 27 to 39.
When asked whether their employer invests in the skills they need, 12 percent of workers aged 55 to 64 and 65+ strongly agreed, versus 21 percent of workers aged 18 to 26 and 27 to 39.
One fifth (20 percent) of workers aged 18 to 26 strongly agree AI will positively affect their job in the next year, compared with 15 percent of those aged 40 to 54 and 10 percent of those aged 55 to 64.
Despite their weaker views on development and support, people aged 55 and older are just as likely as other groups to find meaning in their work and to be fully engaged.
They are also, by far, the least likely group to report plans to quit.
Unpaid work is another pressure point.
ADP Research’s analysis shows 62 percent of workers worldwide put in up to five hours of unpaid work each week, while 38 percent do six hours or more.
Workers who report 16 or more unpaid hours are the most likely to be fully engaged and to say they find meaning in their jobs, yet they are also more likely to feel unproductive and to say they are actively looking or interviewing for a new job.
Respondents who keep unpaid hours at five or fewer per week are more likely than heavy off‑the‑clock workers to say they clearly understand what is expected of them, which Today at Work links to more efficient and productive use of time.
“From job security to engagement and artificial intelligence, [the report] captures the pulse of global workforce sentiment,” said Mary Hayes, director of people and performance at ADP Research.
