Payroll processing giant ADP is known for their estimates of monthly hiring. The data is different from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports, which are based on surveys. ADP Research uses the company’s own data. They also do other analysis, sometimes with surveys, like the “People at Work 2025: A Global Workforce View.”
The latest one they’ve released is about artificial intelligence based on a “stratified, random sample of nearly 38,000 working adults in 34 markets on six continents.” Of those, 2,181 were in North America. (In the mentioned study, the data was collected in 2024, which is a weakness for interpretation. But still, it had some interesting information.) While there were some positive outcomes for workers, there were some concerning results. One, a failure to deliver on a big, expected benefit. Second, a worry in the eyes of employees who don’t think their jobs are safe.
The Missing Benefit
As ADP put it, one of the biggest expected benefits from AI is that workers using it were supposed to feel more productive. Apparently, many don’t.
Workers were split into five groups, in terms of their personal use of generative AI: nearly every day (20%); multiple times a week (30%); multiple times a month (15%); not regularly (20%); and never (15%).
Interestingly, when presented with the statement, “Honestly, I am not as productive at work as I could be lately,” here are the percentages of each group that strongly agreed: nearly every day users (16%); multiple times a week (10%); multiple times a month (7%); not regularly (6%); and never (5%). The more frequently someone used gen AI, the more likely they were to feel inadequately productive.
AI And Next Year’s Job Prospects
ADP also sorted the data by age groups: 18–26, 27–39, 40–54, and 55–64. The researchers then presented the statement, “I believe AI will positively impact my job responsibilities in the next year.”
Looking at all workers in these age groups, here are the percentages of those who strongly agreed: 18–26 (20%); 27–39 (21%); 40–54 (15%); and 55–64 (10%). Even among younger and presumably more tech-oriented generations, only one in five expect a positive experience from generative AI in their work lives.
Next are the age splits among daily AI users who agree with the statement: 18–26 (34%); 27–39 (38%); 40–54 (35%); and 55–64 (33%).
Even among those who use generative AI daily, only 33% to 38% believe the technology will positively impact their jobs next year.
On the positive side, according to the study, frequent users of AI felt more engaged, less stressed, and more positive about their teammates, even if they didn’t feel more productive.
An Unsteady Future
One thing they largely didn’t feel was safe in their positions. The statement in this case was, “I know my job is safe from being eliminated.” One of the primary questions that concern people in today’s job market.
The responses were broken out by degree of generative AI use and by age.
For those who used it nearly every day: 18–26 was 26%; 27–39 was 34%; 40–54 was 32%; and 55–64 was 33%.
For multiple times a week: 18–26 was 22%; 27–39 was 22%; 40–54 was 22%; and 55–64 was 20%.
For multiple times a month: 18–26 was 19%; 27–39 was 19%; 40–54 was 17%; and 55–64 was 18%.
For not regularly: 18–26 was 22%; 27–39 was 20%; 40–54 was 18%; and 55–64 was 19%.
For never: 18–26 was 24%; 27–39 was 19%; 40–54 was 17%; and 55–64 was 19%.
The survey write-up didn’t dwell upon this, but when only about a third of the most active users think their jobs are safe from elimination, and the numbers move toward one in five with less use, companies may be surprised when employee loyalty doesn’t exist where growing dependence does.
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