Only 22% of workers globally strongly agree their job is safe from AI, ADP's People at Work 2026 report shows. Knowledge workers feel far more secure than those in repetitive roles. ADP advises transparency to boost retention and productivity.
Alpha Score of 60 reflects moderate overall profile with strong momentum, weak value, moderate quality, moderate sentiment.
Only one in four workers in the UK strongly agree their job is safe from being replaced by technology, according to ADP's People at Work 2026 report. In Europe as a whole, the figure drops to about one in five, or 21%. Globally, 22% of employees feel confident their role will survive the AI shift.
The survey, covering more than 39,000 working adults across 36 countries, points to a gap between strong headline employment data and workers' own anxiety about the future. ADP UK&NI SVP and General Manager Jeff Phipps said employment is strong but employees remain uneasy.
The degree of confidence tracks closely with the nature of the work. Among UK knowledge workers, 34% believe their job is secure. That figure falls to 19% for workers in repetitive tasks. The gap suggests that white-collar roles, where tasks are less easily automated, still carry a perceived safety premium.
Company size also plays a role. Employees at large corporations show 22% confidence in job security, versus 36% at mid-sized firms. In Europe the pattern reverses, though ADP did not explain why.
The report ties job security directly to workplace outcomes. Workers who feel secure are six times more likely to be fully engaged at work and three times more productive, according to the data. They are roughly twice as likely to say they have no plan to leave their current employer.
Phipps urged employers to communicate openly about organisational and technological changes. Workers who understand how their role might evolve are less prone to assuming the worst, he said. The report also puts the burden of training and upskilling on companies.
"People want to know there's a place for them as their organisation evolves, and that they'll be supported to get there," Phipps added.
ADP itself faces a market that is ambivalent about the company's prospects. The payroll and HR services provider carries an Alpha Score of 42 out of 100 at AlphaScala, a "Mixed" rating that reflects balanced risk and reward. Its stock sits in the Industrials sector, and the sentiment from the report – that large employers may struggle more with AI disruption – is relevant for ADP's own client base.
"The businesses that treat this seriously – investing in skills and being honest about change – are the ones seeing the payoff in how people perform and whether they stay," Phipps said.
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