A new survey reveals that the relentless wave of tech industry layoffs combined with the rise of AI has fueled widespread anxiety over job security among American workers. More than 72 percent of Americans making more than $150,000 fear losing their jobs to AI and other sources of economic insecurity, while even 50 percent of those making under $50,000 feel the same way.
Fast Company reports that the constant stream of mass layoff announcements from major tech companies like Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Twitter in recent months has caused an atmosphere of uncertainty across the workforce. Compounding these concerns is the rapidly advancing field of AI and its potential to disrupt various professions. A survey conducted by online marketing firm Authority Hacker has put numbers to these mounting job security fears.
Human relaxes between robot workers (Andrew Bret Wallis/Getty)
The survey of 1,200 full-time U.S. workers found that over half (54.58 percent) have increased worries about losing their jobs. The anxieties span across gender, age, income levels, and job roles. However, certain demographics and professions are feeling the heat more intensely.
Men (62.87 percent) are significantly more likely than women (47.53 percent) to fear for their job security. This discrepancy may be attributed to higher male representation in the tech industry, which has faced the majority of AI-related layoffs in recent months.
Higher-income earners are more prone to job insecurity, with a staggering 72.48 percent of those making $150,000 or more expressing concerns, compared to just 50.26 percent of those earning under $50,000 annually.
The younger workforce is also markedly more anxious, with 62.2 percent of those aged 25 to 44 worried about their jobs, versus less than 50 percent of workers over 45. Younger employees may feel more vulnerable due to their relatively shorter career tenure.
Those in leadership roles, such as C-suite executives, exhibited the highest levels of job insecurity at 79.31 percent. In contrast, only 46.82 percent of non-management staff and 45.8 percent of administrative staff reported similar fears, likely due to their less financially critical roles.
Read more at Fast Company here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
