One quarter of Canadian workers fear A.I.

TORONTO – Working Canadians appear less worried about the impact of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) and automation on their future job prospects than many may expect, according to the results of a recent ADP Canada Sentiment Study polling 851 working Canadians conducted by Leger.

While slightly more than one-quarter (27 per cent) of working Canadians fear their job is at risk due to the potential introduction of A.I./machine learning/automation in their workplaces, nearly one-in-three (31 per cent) believe the introduction of these new approaches would help them do their job better – more so than any other mainstream technology available today. Three-in-five (59 per cent) said they believe A.I. and automation will have a positive impact on the workforce overall in the future.

“Much of the narrative around A.I. and automation in the workforce to date has included speculation about job loss,” said Holger Kormann, president, ADP Canada.

“However, the reality is that many Canadian employees see these tools as the next wave of resources to help them improve personal productivity and performance and not as a threat to job security or future employment prospects.”

Nearly all respondents (97 per cent) say that technology has impacted the way they work each day, with smartphones (83 per cent, laptop (80 per cent) and desktop (79 per cent) computers and social media (61 per cent) having the greatest impact.

Some of the insights gleaned from the survey include:

Geography

• Workers in Quebec (34 per cent) were most likely to feel that their job is or will be at risk because of automation, while workers in oil-rich regions like Alberta (19 per cent) and Atlantic Canada (12 per cent) feel least at risk.
• Nearly two-in-five (38 per cent) BC workers feel A.I./machine learning would help them do their job better if adopted by their employers.
• Workers in urban centers (33 per cent) are twice as likely as those in rural communities (16 per cent) to worry about automation impacting their current or future roles.

Demographics

• More than one-third of Canadian workers under the age of 45 (33 per cent of workers aged 18-34, 35 per cent of workers aged 35-44) feel their job is or will be at risk due to automation.
• Men (30 per cent) are more likely than women (24 per cent) to believe their job is or will be at risk due to automation.
• Workers that earn more than $80K annually (19 per cent) are substantially less concerned about automation’s potential impact on their roles than those earning less than $40K (35 per cent) or between $40K and $79K (38 per cent).

Technology

• Tablets (55 per cent) and messaging apps (48 per cent) play a role in the way roughly half of all Canadians work each day.
• A.I./machine learning (31 per cent), tablets (27 per cent), messaging apps like Slack and WhatsApp (25 per cent) and smartphones (20 per cent) are the most desired technologies/innovations that employees believe would benefit their ability to perform their job if introduced by their employers.

“Job security is a critical consideration for Canadian workers,” adds Kormann.

“Communication is key in tackling concerns early when adopting new technologies. Employers that engage their workforces early in the adoption process, and clearly outline how and why these new tools will benefit their employees’ day-to-day roles, are likely to see greater employee support, improved workforce satisfaction and productivity, and a better return on investment and increased impact on the bottom line.”

Survey Methodology
An online survey of 851 working Canadians was completed between March 5 – 8, 2018, using Leger’s online panel, LegerWeb. The margin of error for this study was +/-2.5 per cent, 19 times out of 20. Respondents answered the survey only if they work full time, part time, or were self-employed.