Frontline Workers Who Use AI the Most Are Burned Out the Least
AI anxiety remains, however, with frontline workers worried AI — or people skilled in AI — will take their jobs
Frontline workers who use AI on the job are less likely to report being burned out, according to a 10-country global study of 8,200 frontline employees by UKG, a leading global AI platform for HR, pay, and workforce management.
Frontline workers — those who must be present to do their jobs to build products or serve customers, patients, students, or residents — make up nearly 80% of the global workforce1. Burnout rates for these critical workers have remained steady since a 2024 UKG study, with 76% reporting burnout today.
Yet, there’s hope: More than 1 in 3 frontline workers say they use AI in their roles today, and those who are using AI report far lower burnout rates (41%) than those not using the technology (54%).
The Fear Factor: Replacing Frontline Workers with AI Would Be a “Huge Mistake”
Despite AI’s reported impact on burnout, many frontline employees have concerns about the technology. According to the research, organizations must be clear about how AI can help — not replace — frontline workers:
- 2 in 3 worry AI might replace their job;
- 1 in 4 say part of their job has already been replaced by AI;
- 1 in 5 believe their job will be completely replaced within five years; and
- The vast majority (85%) say replacing the frontline workforce with AI would be a “huge mistake.”
Interestingly, they say that the greatest AI threat is actually people: 65% fear colleagues skilled in AI could take their job. These perceived threats could be attributed to lack of training, preparation, and communication from employers, with:
- Nearly one-half of frontline workers taking steps to “prove their worth” (e.g., learning new skills, taking on extra projects, and working long hours, extra shifts, or when they’re sick);
- One-third saying they would quit if forced to use AI in ways that don’t make sense; and
- 1 in 4 losing trust in their employer over concerns about being replaced by AI.
“The irony is, if done the right way, AI can empower people to be more human and do what they were meant to do,” said Corey Spencer, VP of AI at UKG. “Our global study shows that work needs to be done to better educate, train, and explain the ‘why’ behind AI uses on the frontline. It’s about AI and frontline employees working together to move from menial to meaningful work. When AI is deployed with a people-first focus, it doesn’t feel like you’re using technology — it feels like you’re solving problems.”
Countries and Industries Using AI the Most, and Optimistic Employee-Experience Use Case
The UKG study, which was done in partnership with Workplace Intelligence, shows frontline workers in India use AI at work far more than in other countries (84%), followed by Mexico (52%) and Australia (39%). Only 28% of frontline workers in the U.S. and 27% in Canada say they use AI.
Comparing industry use, 38% of professional services workers use AI, followed by retail, hospitality, and food service (33%), public sector (33%), distribution and logistics (32%), and healthcare (27%).
Many frontline employees are optimistic (43%) about AI and are comfortable using it for HR processes (78%), workplace tasks (76%), and writing performance evaluations (71%).
The top 5 employee experience tasks frontline workers would trust AI with are:
- Searching the company handbook and summarizing policies (81%)
- Recommending their work schedules aligned with preferences/availability (80%)
- Helping them understand and use benefits (79%)
- Providing training recommendations (79%)
- Updating certifications and skills (78%)
Three in 4 frontline workers would also trust AI to develop career paths, recommend new roles within their organization, verify paychecks, approve time off, and find coverage for or swap their work shifts.
“AI can be a powerful tool for preventing burnout at work, yet our study reveals the trepidation around AI could cause an already-stretched workforce to log even more hours to impress their bosses,” said Dan Schawbel, Managing Partner at Workplace Intelligence. “This isn’t sustainable. It’s up to leaders across the frontline to have more open conversations with their teams. Sharing the organization’s short- and long-term AI plans, as well as providing more training on AI tools themselves, can help calm the frontline workforce’s fears so they can work alongside AI more efficiently and with greater personal success.”
This is a preview of an upcoming UKG report, More Perspectives from the Frontline Workforce: A UKG global study on AI and the employee experience, that will summarize what frontline workers across 10 countries and critical vertical industries desire most from their employee experience.
About UKG
UKG is a leading global AI platform for HR, pay, and workforce management. Unifying award-winning solutions with the world’s largest collection of workforce data and people-first AI, UKG delivers unrivaled insights into today’s workforce, helping organizations in every industry turn data into decisions that elevate productivity, culture, and the customer experience. Trusted by more than 80,000 organizations across 150 countries, tens of millions of employees — from small businesses to global enterprises — use UKG every day. To learn more, visit ukg.com.
