How do European workers feel about AI at work?
Most Europeans view AI at work positively: 62 percent across the EU, from 48 percent in Portugal and Greece to 86 percent in Denmark (2024). Large majorities want rules on how employers use it, and two thirds expect AI to cost jobs overall, though far fewer worry about their own job.
- Medium confidence
- 5 primary sources
- 2025 to 2026
- Last checked
Every study on one scale
Chart values as text
- Scale: % viewing AI at work positively. Shaded range: 48–86% by country.
- Eurobarometer, Denmark (top) (2025): Denmark 86%
- Eurobarometer, Germany (2025): Germany 65%
- Eurobarometer, EU (2025): EU 62%
- Eurobarometer, Portugal (lowest) (2025): Portugal 48%
- ECB, euro area workers (2026): 41% (workers, 2026)
Why medium confidence: The EU-wide figures come from one official survey with a clear method, but it dates from spring 2024, covers all adults and asks about robots and AI together. Later surveys of workers about AI alone find lower positive shares; the other findings point the same way across creators.
Sources
| Study | Creator | Year | Sample | Method | Figure | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special Eurobarometer 554: Artificial Intelligence and the future of work | European Commission, fieldwork by Verian | 2025 | 26,415 face-to-face interviews with people aged 15 and over in all 27 EU countries, April to May 2024 | Official Eurobarometer; asks about robots and AI in the workplace together | Viewed positively: Denmark 86%, Finland 80%, Sweden 79%, Netherlands 77%, Germany 65%, EU 62%, Spain 56%, France 53%, Greece and Portugal 48% “positively perceive the use of robots and Artificial Intelligence in the workplace” | europa.eu ↗ |
| Special Eurobarometer 554: Artificial Intelligence and the future of work | European Commission, fieldwork by Verian | 2025 | Same survey, Germany | Same survey | Germany 65% positive; 53% expect AI to destroy more jobs than it creates (EU 66%) | europa.eu ↗ |
| Special Eurobarometer 554: Artificial Intelligence and the future of work | European Commission, fieldwork by Verian | 2025 | Same survey, all 27 countries | Same survey | EU 62% positive, 32% negative; 66% of people in work say recent digital technologies including AI help their job | europa.eu ↗ |
| Special Eurobarometer 554: Artificial Intelligence and the future of work | European Commission, fieldwork by Verian | 2025 | Same survey, Portugal and Greece | Same survey | Portugal and Greece 48% positive | europa.eu ↗ |
| AI adoption and the productivity promise: what workers report (ECB Blog) | European Central Bank | 2026 | About 20,000 people a month in 11 euro area countries, 2026 wave | Consumer Expectations Survey; workers' views of AI alone | 41% of workers view AI positively, down from 43% a year earlier; 41% are uninterested in using it “AI is perceived less favourably today than one year ago” | ecb.europa.eu ↗ |
What rules do Europeans want on AI at work?
Between 72% and 82% call each of five workplace rules important: protecting workers' privacy (82%), involving workers in designing and adopting new technology (77%), transparency in HR decisions (75%), banning fully automated decisions (74%) and limiting automated monitoring (72%). Europeans object most to AI automatically firing workers (78%) and monitoring them (63%).
Do Europeans fear losing their jobs to AI?
In general, yes; for themselves, much less. 66% believe AI will destroy more jobs than it creates, from 45% in Denmark to 80% in Greece (Germany 53%). But only 22% of German workers name worry about their own job as a drawback of AI (Bitkom, 2026), and 41% of EU workers who use AI are very or somewhat concerned about losing their job to it (European Commission, 2026).
| Study | Creator | Year | Sample | Method | Figure | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ein Drittel nutzt KI mindestens einmal pro Woche (press release, 28 April 2026) | Bitkom | 2026 | 550 employed people in Germany, by telephone, February to March 2026 | Industry association survey; drawbacks named, several answers allowed | Worry about own job 22%; unclear who is responsible for AI errors 62%; unclear where data goes 59%; 49% would like an AI assistant, 45% want no AI support “22 Prozent haben Sorge um den eigenen Arbeitsplatz” | bitkom.org ↗ |
| The AI-adoption divide: who benefits, who doesn't, and what it means for workers | European Commission, Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs | 2026 | 21,207 responses in 18 EU countries, February and March 2026; this question asked of AI users | Ad-hoc module in the harmonized consumer surveys | Of employed AI users, 14% very and 27% somewhat concerned about losing their job to AI “14% are very concerned and 27% are somewhat concerned about potential job displacement” | economy-finance.ec.europa.eu ↗ |
Numbers you may have seen
These figures circulate widely. Here is what the original source says.
- 84% of Europeans want AI at work regulated (Eurobarometer). 84% agree robots and AI require careful management, a general statement. The specific workplace rules drew 72 to 82%.
- 66% of Europeans fear losing their job to AI. 66% believe AI will destroy more jobs than it creates in general. Fear for one's own job is much lower.
- 62% of European workers are positive about AI. The Eurobarometer asked all adults about robots and AI together, in 2024. Among euro area workers asked about AI in 2026, 41% are positive (ECB).
- Half of Germans reject AI at work (Bitkom). 45% of German workers want no AI support at work, against 49% who would like an AI assistant: a split among workers only.
More from Europe
- F-345–42%Which EU countries' companies use AI the most and least?
- F-359–37%What share of workers in each EU country use generative AI for work?
- F-367–17 ptsHow does AI use at work in Europe compare with the US?
- F-3828%How ready are European companies for the EU AI Act?
- F-3953–66%How much do European firms care where their AI processes data?
- F-4012–14×How does AI investment in Europe compare with the US?
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