Up to 40 per cent of workers neither use artificial intelligence nor see a need for AI training, revealing a significant portion of the workforce disconnected from both the technology and career development opportunities, according to new research.
The 2025 Indeed Workforce Insights Report surveyed approximately 80,000 workers across eight countries and found that AI adoption at work varies dramatically by geography and employer engagement. Ireland leads with 70 per cent of employed workers using AI at least monthly, while Japan lags at 18 per cent.
Employer encouragement emerged as the strongest factor associated with adoption rates. In Ireland, 37 per cent of workers report high levels of employer encouragement to use AI, compared to just 12 per cent in Japan, according to the report.
Disengaged workers concentrated in specific groups
Workers who neither use AI regularly nor feel they need training represent between 16 per cent of employed respondents in Ireland and 40 per cent in the United States. The research identified clear patterns among this disengaged segment.
Older workers show higher disengagement rates. In the United Kingdom, 50 per cent of workers aged 55 and older fall into this category, compared to 40 per cent of those aged 18 to 24. Japan showed elevated rates even among young workers, with 37 per cent of those aged 18 to 24 reporting disengagement.
Workers in manual and production roles have the highest disengagement rates, reaching 62 per cent in the U.K. Those in knowledge-based occupations show the lowest rates at eight to 30 per cent depending on country.
Training gaps persist among active users
AI users consistently report feeling they need more training than non-users. In Japan, 61 per cent of AI users feel they lack adequate training, while France shows 54 per cent. The United States reported the lowest rate at 41 per cent.
The gap between AI users and non-users who feel undertrained appears across all eight countries, ranging from three percentage points in Japan to 13 percentage points in Australia.
Countries with lower employer encouragement rates show the highest percentages of workers feeling undertrained, according to the report.
Time savings concentrated among users
Between 81 and 96 per cent of AI users across all eight countries report saving at least one hour per day through AI tools. In Ireland, half of users said they save three or more hours daily.
Workers redirect saved time primarily toward taking on other tasks and projects, with 21 to 45 per cent citing this use. The United Kingdom led at 45 per cent while Japan reported 21 per cent.
Around one-third of workers use freed-up time to enhance quality and efficiency of current tasks, while a similar share uses it for more of the same tasks. Between 19 and 34 per cent reported improved work-life balance.
The U.K. showed the highest rate of AI users reporting no time savings at 20 per cent, suggesting implementation quality affects outcomes.
Workplace engagement patterns
Disengaged workers showed distinct patterns in workplace attitudes. They were 35 to 49 percentage points less likely to believe AI makes work more efficient compared to other workers.
The group also showed lower workplace engagement, measuring seven to 20 percentage points less likely to report that workplace culture allows them to thrive professionally. They were three to 16 percentage points less likely to feel a sense of purpose in their work.
Disengaged workers were six to 25 percentage points less likely to worry that AI will reduce job opportunities, suggesting the technology feels distant and irrelevant to their work lives, according to the report.
International adoption patterns
Personal AI use exceeded professional use across all countries surveyed. The gap ranged from three percentage points in Ireland to 13 percentage points in Germany.
Australia reported 48 per cent workplace adoption, followed by Germany at 46 per cent, the United States at 43 per cent, the United Kingdom at 41 per cent and France at 39 per cent.
Workers whose employers actively encourage AI use showed significantly higher adoption rates, with the gap ranging from 28 percentage points in Ireland to 54 percentage points in Japan.
The research was conducted by YouGov for Indeed Hiring Lab in May and June 2025, with a minimum of 10,000 interviews per market and a margin of error of plus or minus one per cent at the 95 per cent confidence level.
