AI is coming to many a workplace, one way or another, and employees in Europe know that.
A new survey by human resources firm Adecco on 37,500 people in 30 countries — most of them European — shows 55% of them expect employers to integrate AI agents into their workflows within a year.
Most businesses, however, aren’t yet including employees in designing AI-integrated processes: the world average of people saying they are being consulted on ways of working with AI stands at 30%.
China and Europe lag slightly behind at 23% and 29% respectively, compared to America’s 37% and Canada’s 50% employee involvement rate.
Focusing on European countries specifically, the rate in Germany, France and the Netherlands is 36% — higher than the global average — with Switzerland and Slovenia leading the continent (41%).
‘Future-ready’ workers are born and bred, too: Where are they?
The survey also shows that future-ready workers are much more likely to get involved in AI-related decisions in the workplace.The rate among them jumps to 41%.
According to Adecco, future-readyemployees are those who already, and proactively, experiment with AI uses at work, and are curious to learn new skills, even outside working hours.
The highest rate of future-ready workers in Europe was identified in Spain — third worldwide (7%) and level with India.
“They embrace new technologies and they have versatile skills,” the HR firm said, adding that they are more likely to respond positively to questions such as “AI has made me productive”.
Crucially, Adecco adds that these types of workers “aren’t simply found” but “are supported by their employers to become high-performing talent”.
“They won’t wait around if they don’t understand how or where they fit in as AI continues to quickly reshape the workforce,” the company said.
On this note, being future-ready and growing professionally is becoming increasingly important to workers.
The percentage who say they will stay with their employer for the next 12 months under the condition of career progression is now at 33%, an 11-point increase from 2024.
How optimistic are workers about the impact of AI in the future?
Most interviewed workers don’t seem to fear AI: some 76% believe AI could create more jobs, while only 23% anticipate AI-driven layoffs.
The most positive country not only in Europe, but worldwide, appears to be Germany: 93% say they believe AI could bring more job opportunities than it takes away.
In fact, 77% of workers globally say AI now allows them to carry out tasks they couldn’t before.
This means having more time to perform duties like strategic thinking and checking work quality and accuracy, as well as upskilling and being more creative.
Ultimately, three-quarters of workers say AI has already changed or will change their work, for example, modifying the activities carried out at work or changing the skills required for the role.
Adecco’s recommendation to employers is to guide employees in developing “new, value-adding capabilities through targeted upskilling and career development”.
“Position AI as a tool that complements, enhances and augments human efforts, and therefore empowers employees,” the company said.