ADP Research finds Chinese Employees mixed feeling towards AI’s potential
13 August, 2025
Companies need to empower their employees to adapt and thrive in this fast-evolving workforce
Hong Kong, China, 13 August 2025 – ADP Research, in a global study, surveyed 38,000 working adults across six continents to gain a comprehensive understanding of their feelings toward AI and its potential impact on their jobs. The 'People at Work 2025' report series, which provides insights on the labor market from the perspective of workers, explored respondents' views on AI, their familiarity and openness to it, and their concerns about job displacement related to the technology.
The research uncovers a complex and often conflicting range of emotions among the global workforce about AI's effect on jobs. While many see the positive possibilities of AI, a large number also have concerns about job displacement and feel uncertain about AI's future influence on their roles.
It also seems that the arrival of AI can create challenges for talent retention: 30% of those who believe they could be replaced are actively seeking new jobs, compared to 16% of others.
"AI is not only transforming how we work—it is also reshaping the overall employee experience," said Lily Ma, General Manager of ADP North Asia "In China, employees are showing a high level of openness toward AI, yet concerns around job security remain. Companies that proactively address the emotional tension between anticipation and anxiety—through clear communication and skills training—will be better positioned to unlock AI’s full potential and build a resilient, future-ready workforce."
Key Findings from the People at Work 2025: Artificial Intelligence
Mixed feelings dominate: While 17% of workers strongly agree that AI will positively influence their job in the next year, and 33% agree, overall feelings are mixed. In China, 22% of workers strongly agree AI will positively impact their job responsibilities in the next year—well above the global average and ahead of peers in Japan (4%), South Korea (8%), Taiwan (11%), Australia (11%), and Singapore (16%). This underscores China's openness to AI adoption in the workplace.
Hope and Concerns in Tandem: Interestingly, 27% of workers that believe AI will positively impact their jobs also fear that technology might replace them. For example, markets with the most optimistic outlook on AI, such as Egypt or India, also have the highest share of workers fearing replacement. Among Chinese knowledge workers, 36% strongly agree that AI will improve their job performance—well above global and regional averages. Yet 19% of the same group also strongly agree they fear being replaced by AI.
The unknown reinforces anxiety: A significant portion of people (44% combined agree/strongly agree) have no idea how AI will change their jobs. This uncertainty can contribute to anxiety. In contrast, only 11% of Chinese workers say they don't know how AI will impact their job—lower than the APAC average and significantly below markets like Singapore (19%).
Differences by Industry and Work Type
Early adopters are more optimistic: People working in technology services, finance, insurance, and information sectors are more likely to have a positive outlook on AI's impact but also express higher concerns about being replaced. The sectors prize efficiency and competitive advantage, which AI can enhance. In China, this trend is pronounced in tech, finance, and manufacturing. Employees in these sectors—particularly knowledge workers—are already engaging with AI tools and show high confidence in AI’s productivity value, yet also report higher anxiety about automation.
Knowledge workers lead in optimism and concern: Knowledge workers, such as programmers, academics, engineers, are the most likely to believe AI will positively impact their jobs (24% strongly agree) but are also the most worried about being replaced (13% strongly agree) and most likely to say they don't know what the future will bring (14% strongly agree). In China, knowledge workers express even higher levels of sentiment on both ends: 36% strongly agree AI will improve their job, while 19% strongly fear being replaced—reflecting a particularly intense "hope and fear" pattern.
Human-centric sectors show caution: Industries heavily reliant on human interactions, such as healthcare and social assistance, express greater concerns about AI's impact.
Age: Younger workers (18-26 and 27-39) are more likely to show both optimism and concern about AI, considering its long-term effects on their careers. Late-career workers (55+) tend to show more indifference, believing AI will have little impact on their remaining working years. In China, workers aged 40–54 are the most optimistic (25% strongly agree AI has potential), yet they also report the highest fear of replacement (16%).
Region: The Middle East/Africa region shows the highest percentage of workers strongly believing AI will positively influence their job (27%), while Japan and Sweden show the lowest (4% and 6% respectively). People in Europe (11%) are the least likely to think that AI will positively impact their job in the next year, compared to 13% in North America, 16% in APAC, 19% in LatAm and 27% in Middle East/Africa. China ranks ahead of most developed APAC markets in optimism (22%), positioning it as a significant growth area for AI adoption and workforce innovation.
Stress and job seeking: Workers who fear being replaced by technology are twice as likely to report experiencing high stress at work. Additionally, over 30% of people who strongly believe AI could replace them are actively seeking new employment, compared to 16% of those less concerned.
The full People at Work report is available for free download here
For more insights and analysis on the world of work visit www.ADPresearch.com
"People at Work 2025" Report Series Methodology
The 'People at Work 2025' report series is built on the ADP Research Global Workforce Survey, a robust study conducted regularly since 2015. The survey, designed by ADP Research's team of analysts, gathers information about the labor market from the perspective of workers themselves, providing insights that can improve the world of work by better understanding worker sentiment and expectations.
Based on survey data from nearly 38,000 working adults in 34 markets across six continents, "People at Work 2025" features a representative sample of the global workforce to provide regional and market-to-market comparisons of worker sentiment in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, and North America.
Respondents come from a wide variety of industries, educational backgrounds, on-site and remote work environments and skill sets. They represent a range of management and individual contributor roles, working for employers of all sizes.
A unique attribute of the "People at Work 2025" report series is its measurement of worker sentiment in granular detail across worker types using a proprietary methodology developed by ADP Research. In addition to demographic and employer characteristics, survey respondents are classified by the type of work they do – knowledge, skilled task, or cyclical – regardless of industry.
"People at Work's" ability to gather sentiment along these different worker and geographical dimensions provides employers with a fine-tuned and granular view of the global workforce that they can leverage to better understand their workforces and drive growth through data-driven talent decisions.
Each report will pair global trends with market-by-market insights on workplace topics ranging from artificial intelligence and workers holding multiple jobs to get by, to wage trends and career development.
About ADP Research
The mission of ADP Research is to make the future of work more productive through data-driven discovery. Companies, workers, and policymakers rely on our finely tuned data and unique perspective to make informed decisions that impact workplaces around the world.
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