International human resources service group Randstad recently released the “Workmonitor 2026” global workforce survey, showing that artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing the workplace structure. About four-fifths of the surveyed employees believe that AI has already or will soon have a substantial impact on their daily work content. Particularly, the younger workforce, especially Generation Z, has the highest level of concern about the impact of AI on their work and employment prospects among all age groups.
The report indicates that companies are increasingly relying on AI, especially in areas such as chatbots and process automation, where AI and automation are gradually replacing low-complexity, transactional, and highly repetitive work tasks.
At the same time, job vacancies requiring skills related to “AI agents” have skyrocketed by 1587% in the past year, reflecting the rapidly increasing demand from companies for talent who can utilize and manage AI tools.
Randstad’s survey this time covered 35 markets, interviewing about 27,000 workers and 1,225 employers, and analyzing data from over 3 million job vacancies, making it one of the largest global employment surveys in recent years.
The report also reveals a significant perception gap between employers and employees. Approximately 95% of the surveyed employers are optimistic about business growth in the next year, but only 51% of employees share the same view.
Nearly half of the employees believe that the benefits brought by AI are more inclined towards companies rather than directly improving the workers’ own situations. About one-third of the respondents are worried that their jobs may disappear due to AI in the next five years, with Generation Z showing significantly higher levels of anxiety compared to Millennials and Baby Boomers.
Randstad’s CEO Sander van ’t Noordende pointed out in the report that if companies fail to transparently communicate about the impact of AI and concurrently invest in employee skill development, the “AI reality gap” between companies and employees may widen, posing risks of trust and talent drain.
The report emphasizes that the key to future workplace competitiveness lies not in whether AI will replace humans, but in whether companies can use AI for “task enhancement” rather than “position replacement,” and bridge the trust gap between companies and employees through transparent communication and skill investment.
Furthermore, the report indicates that the traditional single career path is gradually losing its appeal. Around 38% of the surveyed workers express a desire to switch between different industries and roles, creating a “portfolio career” to diversify risks and enhance security.
In addition, while salary remains the primary factor attracting talent, “work-life balance” has become the biggest key to retaining employees, with its importance even surpassing compensation and job stability.
The Randstad Workmonitor survey has been released continuously for 23 years and is considered an important indicator for observing global labor market trends. The 2026 edition of the report focuses on issues such as AI, economic uncertainty, and the reconstruction of occupational value, reflecting the structural adjustment pressures faced by both labor and management amid rapid technological advancements and macro environment fluctuations.
This article referenced reporting from Reuters.