With 2025 now well upon us, employers find themselves looking ahead. What do they see? For many, it’s uncertainty triggered by the proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI). How should they react to the challenge? Some who study the future of the workplace advise focusing on resilience and adaptability.
Employer Responsibilities
In October, talent advisory and staffing provider the Adecco Group released its research on the future of the workforce. Titled Working through change: Adapting to an AI-driven world of work, the report includes thoughts gleaned from 35,000 worker interviews across 27 countries and 20 industries.
The researchers found that organizations are facing an uncertain future shaped by AI. They also learned that despite uncertainty, workers remain motivated to keep up with their professional development. And they’re eager to progress in their careers.
One key takeaway of the research: Employers have a responsibility to prepare their workers for what lies ahead.
“Workers are worried about an uncertain future: Economic climate and job security are front of mind,” the report says. “More are staying in their jobs, but AI’s impact on stability has been underestimated over the last 12 months, and employees are looking for guidance.”
The Adecco report says 40% of the workers interviewed were concerned about long-term job security, 83% planned to stay with their current employer, and 13% reported they had lost jobs because of AI. That compares to 8% who were worried about the loss of jobs to AI in 2023.
The Adecco research also found that workers want internal mobility, but employers are failing to see the value of providing it. The research found that 76% of the workers surveyed said companies should train existing workers for different roles across the company before hiring external candidates. That’s up 12 points from 2023.
Just 52% of the business leaders said they have strategies in place to encourage internal mobility.
Capitalizing on ‘Future-Ready’ Talent
Adecco’s report says employers must upskill a generation of what it calls “future-ready talent.” Those workers are “adaptable, willing to be flexible with their career plans, and are proactive about growing their skills.” Just 11% of the workers included in the study fit that description.
Those future-ready workers outperform the rest. Therefore, companies should commit to increasing that segment of the workforce by committing to growing skills and training future leaders.
Of those employees who are future-ready, Adecco found that 93% had been given a personalized development plan by their employer. Also, 95% of those employees frequently participated in employer-provided leadership training.
Addressing AI
The Adecco research identified high potential for the use of AI but also caveats.
With the use of AI increasing, organizations are seeing productivity gains since many workers now have more capacity for creative or strategic work, but they need better guidance to maximize AI’s potential, according to a list of the report’s key findings.
The report says the average daily time saved from using AI is one hour, and of those using AI, 28% said they are spending that time on more creative work. Just 25% have completed training on how to apply AI at work.
A downside of AI in the workplace that employers need to address centers on “fears that AI will advantage certain worker groups” and leave others behind.
The Adecco research found that less than half (46%) of those surveyed were confident that their leaders have enough AI skills and knowledge to understand the risks of AI adoption at work.
Priorities for 2025
In addition to concerns about AI, compensation is another potential area of concern. A report from HR consulting firm Mercer says employers are looking at a “resetting of sorts” when it comes to compensation practices.
The Mercer report includes a list of four top priorities for HR in 2025.
- Modernize the merit process. Rather than making a simple adjustment from the prior year, consideration also should be given to how competitive an employer’s current pay is.
- Understand the legal landscape. You should focus on compliance and mitigating legal risks in compensation practices by staying up to date on evolving laws and regulations, including the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
- Actively address pay equity. With heightened pay transparency requirements, you should proactively analyze and address any gender or minority pay gaps.
- Be transparent. Transparency in compensation requires strategic planning to manage expectations and enhance company culture.
Tammy Binford is a contributing editor to Employment Law Letter, a publication of HRLaws.