Largest group of employees still needs support in keeping up with AI developments

Nearly 50,000 employees worldwide participated in the Hopes & Fears survey, including almost 1,300 in the Netherlands.

Elieke Vastenhouw, workforce transformation expert at PwC, says the survey results make it clear that employers need to continue their efforts to support employees in adopting AI. 'In previous years, we saw similar results and made the same call to companies: AI adoption does not happen automatically, but it is key to success. So invest in developing your people. Give them the confidence to use AI. Give them a clear perspective on what AI means for them. This is a message that really needs to sink in now.'

54 percent of the employees surveyed have used AI at work in the past 12 months, up from 44 percent last year. Despite this increase, the Netherlands continues to lag behind the global average of 64 percent who used AI at work over the same period.

Of the 54 percent in the Netherlands, around one in five (22 percent) use generative AI tools on a daily basis. Daily use of AI agents stands at just seven percent. 

Vastenhouw: 'This once again shows that the potential of AI is not yet being fully realised. What I typically see is GenAI being used to summarise documents, draft emails or prepare meeting minutes. AI agents are often still used only for specific processes, such as recruitment. Organisations that use AI agents to fundamentally redesign their daily work, end-to-end processes, and their operating model are still in the minority, although this group is growing rapidly.'

The survey identifies a small group of confident employees who use AI every day and benefit significantly from it. Only seven percent of Dutch respondents belong to this group of ‘frontrunners’, compared with fourteen percent globally. In contrast, a much larger majority of employees, 68 percent in the Netherlands versus 56 percent globally, experience few benefits from AI and have limited access to learning, development and innovation.

Interestingly, India has the highest proportion of AI frontrunners, at forty percent. Most European countries participating in Hopes & Fears, like the Netherlands, lag far behind. In the US, 21 percent of employees are frontrunners.

Elieke Vastenhouw: 'This finding shows that a large group of employees are still struggling to make effective use of AI. That is an urgent issue, as many companies have expressed the ambition to use AI to increase productivity, alongside other objectives. In a recent report, we discuss the need for companies to boost productivity. This will require additional investment in upskilling. It is important to make time for this, so that learning new skills does not simply come on top of employees’ existing workload and add to the pressure they are already under. Employees need perspective and confidence, while managers need support to better guide their teams. AI success starts with the workforce'.

Vastenhouw: 'At the same time, Hopes & Fears shows that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. It is therefore equally important for employers to develop a strategy specifically for frontrunners. To retain this group, companies can offer faster career progression, greater autonomy and room for experimentation and innovation. Frontrunners can also play a role in helping colleagues who are progressing at a slower pace, to explore and embrace the opportunities AI offers.' 

There are other findings in Hopes & Fears that employers should take as a signal for action, according to Vastenhouw. The survey shows, for example, that ‘only’ one-third of Dutch employees are positive about the impact of AI on their work and about the decisions their leaders are making in this area. This means that two-thirds are either neutral or decidedly negative. Moreover, the proportion of employees who feel positive about AI is substantially higher globally than in the Netherlands. Vastenhouw: 'Studies like these do not always tell us why people feel positive or negative. But as a leader, a finding like this would make me ask: "What does this look like in my own organisation?", "Are we doing enough to bring our employees along as we make changes?", "Should we give our people more insight into why we make certain decisions?”.'

Although the differences are less pronounced, the global and Dutch results also diverge when it comes to skills. Vastenhouw: 'Less than half of Dutch respondents say they have sufficient access to learning and development opportunities. Only a small majority feel confident in their ability to learn new skills. This is another area where organisations need to take action. Building skills gives employees both the ability and the confidence to work with AI. This is so important.'

Vastenhouw: 'In the Netherlands, and even more so globally, people are more concerned about losing their jobs due to economic conditions than because of AI. Of course, not all of the issues reflected in these findings are things employers can directly influence. But I do think it is important to keep employees informed and involved as developments unfold, to be transparent and, wherever possible, to give them a sense of perspective. If employees only become more uncertain in a world that is constantly changing, it will simply lead to a lot of negativity around the coffee machine. And I don’t think anyone wants that.'