Nearly one in five Gen Z workers is deeply worried artificial intelligence (AI) will put them out of work within the next two years, according to a recent survey by Deutsche Bank Research. The generational divide is stark: While nearly a quarter of young adults aged 18 to 34 gave high scores of concern on a 0-10 scale, only about one in 10 baby boomers and Gen Xers (aged 55 and above) expressed comparable anxiety. The research captures a snapshot of growing apprehension among the youngest segment of the global workforce as AI accelerates workplace transformation at an unprecedented pace.
The Deutsche Bank survey, conducted during the summer months across the U.S., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the U.K., sampled 10,000 people and found that 24% of workers aged 18-34 rated their job-loss concern at an 8 or higher, compared to just 10% among those 55 and older. While only 18% of all respondents said they were “very concerned” about losing their jobs to AI in the next two years, this number climbs to 22% when looking at a five-year horizon—signaling a widespread expectation AI threatens longer-term job security. Americans, in particular, showed higher levels of concern compared to their European peers for every time period measured, with the gap widening over time.
