66.7% of Workers Who Feel the AI Utilization Gap Report Career Anxiety—Approximately 1.8 Times Higher Than Those Who Don't (37.7%)

Survey Highlights

Among those who feel there is already a gap between workers who can use AI and those who cannot (n=177), 66.7% report feeling anxious about their future careers. This is 29.0 percentage points higher than those who do not feel this gap (37.7%), approximately 1.8 times the rate.

Among those who feel their company or organization provides support or education for AI utilization (n=163), 72.4% report high engagement. In contrast, only 39.3% of those who do not feel such support (n=168) report high engagement—a 33.1 percentage point difference, also about 1.8 times higher.

Over half of workers (55.4%) report low or no AI utilization. Only about one in five (19.2%) actively use AI, while 25.4% say they “somewhat use it” or “use it occasionally.”

RealOne Inc., a company specializing in research on human resources and organizational development (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Shin Aoyama), conducted a survey of 500 workers titled “Survey on Workers’ Attitudes Toward Work and the Workplace.” This press release presents findings related to AI utilization, career anxiety, and employee engagement.

Survey Results

The survey found that 66.7% of respondents who feel there is already a gap between those who can and cannot use AI report career anxiety. In contrast, only 37.7% of those who do not perceive such a gap report anxiety, a difference of 29.0 percentage points.

Additionally, 72.4% of those who feel their organization provides AI-related support or education report high engagement. In contrast, only 39.3% of those who do not feel such support report high engagement—a 33.1 percentage point gap.

Furthermore, only 19.2% of respondents reported actively using AI (“somewhat” or “frequently”). In contrast, 55.4% reported low or no AI usage (“not much” or “not at all”). Another 25.4% (127 people) responded “neither” or “occasionally.”

These results suggest that challenges in the AI era extend beyond individual AI usage levels and are also linked to perceptions of the AI utilization gap and the presence of organizational support and education.

Key Survey Findings

1. Over Half of Workers Report Low AI Utilization (55.4%)—Nearly 2.9 Times More Than Active Users

Among the 500 workers surveyed, 8.0% said they “frequently use” AI, and 11.2% said they “somewhat use” it. Combined, only 19.2% actively use AI.

Conversely, 19.0% said they “do not use much,” and 36.4% said they “do not use at all or almost not at all.” Combined, 55.4% of workers report low or no AI usage. Additionally, 25.4% (127 people) responded “neither” or “occasionally.”

Workers with low AI usage outnumber active users by 36.2 percentage points, making them nearly 2.9 times more prevalent.

While certain job roles may naturally lend themselves to AI use, the survey reveals that only about one in five workers (19.2%) actively use AI, while over half (55.4%) do not or use it minimally.

Figure 1: AI Utilization at Work (n=500). Combined “frequently” and “somewhat” users: 19.2%. Combined “not much” and “not at all” users: 55.4%.

2. Workers Who Perceive an AI Utilization Gap Are More Likely to Feel Career Anxiety (66.7%)

Those who feel there is already a gap between AI users and non-users are more likely to report career anxiety.

Among those who do not feel such a gap (n=138), 37.7% reported career anxiety. In contrast, 66.7% of those who do feel the gap (n=177) reported anxiety—a 29.0 percentage point difference, or about 1.8 times higher.

A similar trend was observed regarding future expectations. Among those who do not expect the gap to widen (n=111), 37.8% reported anxiety. Among those who do expect a widening gap (n=189), 66.1% reported anxiety.

In summary, workers who perceive either an existing or future gap in AI utilization are significantly more likely to feel anxious about their career prospects.

Figure 2: Perception of AI Utilization Gap and Career Anxiety. Among those who feel the gap “already exists” (n=177), 66.7% report career anxiety—29.0 percentage points higher than those who don’t feel it (37.7%). Among those who answered “neither” (n=178), the rate was 33.1%.

3. Workers Who Perceive Organizational AI Support Report Higher Engagement (72.4%)

Those who feel their company or organization provides AI support or education also report higher engagement levels.

Regarding the question “Do you feel your company/organization provides AI support or education?”, 39.3% of those who do not feel such support (n=168) reported high engagement. In contrast, 72.4% of those who do feel support (n=163) reported high engagement—a 33.1 percentage point difference, approximately 1.8 times higher.

Engagement here refers to positive work-related emotions, such as finding work interesting, being motivated, and feeling energized at work.

These results suggest that organizational support for AI learning and application—not just individual effort—is closely linked to employees’ positive emotional engagement at work.

Figure 3: Perception of AI Support/Education and Engagement. Among those who feel support exists (n=163), 72.4% report high engagement. Among those who do not feel support (n=168), the rate is 39.3% (33.1 percentage point difference). Among those who answered “neither” (n=160), the rate was 43.8%.

Survey Background

With the rapid advancement of AI technologies, including generative AI, work styles and business processes are evolving.

However, not all workers are adopting AI at the same pace. Differences in job roles, tasks, company policies, and access to training create disparities in AI adoption and ease of use.

Understanding how workers perceive the rise of AI—and how organizational support and education relate to career anxiety and engagement—is crucial for addressing future human resource and organizational challenges.

RealOne Inc. conducted this survey of 500 workers to explore attitudes toward AI utilization, career anxiety, and engagement.

Implications for Organizations

This survey highlights that