UK Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2024

Empower and enable your workforce - or critical transformations may fail

Insight
10 minute read

The UK workforce is optimistic about new opportunities and ways of working, but the pace and magnitude of change is, for many, overwhelming. Leaders must now strike a careful balance between driving productivity and critical transformation while protecting against change fatigue and burnout. This requires a singular strategy – one that connects transformation ambitions with exceptional workforce planning, and provides workers with the reassurance they’ll be equipped with the skills and tools they need to thrive.

{{60}}%

of employees experienced more change at work in the past year than in the previous 12 months
{{49}}%

of workers haven’t used generative AI tools at work in the past year
{{45}}%

of the time spent on administrative tasks is inefficient, according to workers

As CEOs take a catalytic role in driving transformation efforts across their organisations, employees are feeling the toll of unrelenting disruption. PwC's Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey reveals almost half (45%) of workers feel that too much change is happening at once, and 40% don’t understand why changes need to happen at all.

Many workers are running hard just to stand still, with 41% facing a significant increase in their workload and 37% needing to learn how to use new tools and technology to do their job. But workers’ concerns are, surprisingly, more than matched by their optimism for the future. Many are positive about the changes taking place, with 65% excited about new opportunities and 74% ready to adapt to new ways of working.

The challenge is that the workforce isn’t just dealing with one or two disruptions – they’re facing many from every direction, all at once. The solution is to create a single strategy that connects transformation ambitions with your ability to ensure the right skills and resources are in place, at the right time.

What do workers believe will impact their jobs in the next three years?

Technological change

Changes in customer preferences

Changes in government regulations

Changes to employer’s long-term goals and objectives

Actions taken by my employer’s peers/competitors

Geopolitical conflict

Climate change

Note: % of participants who think these factors will impact their job to a large or very large extent in the next three years

This clear direction of travel will help maintain and build on your workforce’s excitement for the future, while setting up guardrails to protect against change fatigue.

“Workers are telling us they’re motivated and ready to learn, but they’re also overwhelmed by nonstop disruption. Even positive change can be stressful when it’s coming from all angles. So you need to focus your workforce’s energy with a single strategy, and equip them with the skills and tools that will drive performance, while also maintaining a culture that prioritises well-being and a healthy work-life balance. If you achieve that, you’ll create a workforce that can thrive through disruption.”

_{Sarah Moore

Head of Workforce, PwC UK}

Untapped technology could boost productivity

All organisations are striving to boost productivity amid slow growth and rising costs. While generative AI (GenAI) is only one tool in a suite of many, its current underutilisation is a missed opportunity.

Tilly Harries, a barrister and Director at PwC UK, explains: “At a time when leaders urgently need to find ways to deliver products and services more efficiently, we are seeing first hand the extraordinary potential of GenAI in the legal sector. One of its many use cases is that it can handle large volumes of data and help legal professionals make informed decisions at speed, allowing them to focus on more high value tasks. These are productivity gains that can be realised in any area where analysing large amounts of data or text is a requirement.”

Encouragingly, employees’ perception of GenAI is more positive than negative, with half predicting it will improve their efficiency. But positive attitudes are not translating into regular usage. While 47% say they’ve used GenAI at work in the past 12 months, far fewer are using it on a consistent basis. Only 18% have used it daily or weekly for work this year.

Benefits workers expect from GenAI in the next year

68%

believe GenAI will create opportunities to learn new skills
64%

expect GenAI to help them be more creative at work
57%

believe GenAI will increase their efficiency
44%

expect GenAI to lead to an increase in their salary

Among those who haven’t used any GenAI tools for work in the past year, 33% cite a lack of opportunities, 25% say their employer hasn’t provided access, and 23% admit they don’t know how to use GenAI.

Left unresolved, these obstacles will prevent organisations from unlocking the transformative productivity gains that GenAI offers, which many are already reaping. PwC UK’s 2024 AI Jobs Barometer found that sectors more exposed to AI (where AI can be readily used for some tasks) are seeing an almost fivefold increase in the rate of productivity growth globally than those less exposed. If organisations don’t empower their workforce to embrace these critical tools, they won’t be able to compete.

Althea D’Lima, HR Transformation Partner at PwC UK, says: “Frontline employees are best placed to identify use cases and potential efficiencies. Providing them with access to tools and a clear set of guidelines is the first step, but building a culture of empowerment and trust will help your people feel safe to play an active role in driving innovation with GenAI. They need the freedom to experiment and occasionally fail, along with the reassurance that efficiency gains will free up their time to focus on more strategic tasks and potentially also define new roles in your organisation. Empower your employees to reimagine and redefine what the world of work could look like.”

How often have workers used GenAI at work in the past 12 months?

Daily

Weekly

About once a month

A few times

Once

Never

Despite positivity about the potential of GenAI, workers expressed concerns that it will increase bias within their organisation (45%) and provide misleading information (47%). Althea D’Lima, adds: “Workers’ concerns are valid and reinforce the need for a clear articulation of where, when and how they should use GenAI. By setting clear guidelines and providing opportunities to upskill, employees will be far more likely to harness the capabilities these tools offer, while being aware of the critical value they bring as the human in-the-loop.”

CEOs and workers aren’t on the same page about skills

Employees are mostly confident their skillset won’t need to change in the near future. This sentiment is particularly strong among older generations, with only 19% of Gen X and Baby Boomers anticipating a substantial shift in the skills required within the next five years, compared to 31% of Millennials and Gen Z.

But this perspective contrasts with the view of CEOs. The majority of leaders (78%) report some extent of skills shortage within their organisation, and 68% specify a lack of tech capabilities in inhibiting their ability to transform. And a shift in skills requirements is already being reflected in the job market. Posts for specialist AI jobs (those requiring technical skills, such as machine learning) in the UK have grown 3.6 times faster than for all jobs over the last decade, according to PwC UK's 2024 AI Jobs Barometer.

“The disparity between CEOs’ and workers’ perspectives on skills is understandable. Workers have been dealing with short-term disruptions and have adapted their skills incrementally. They’ve had to learn new tools, technologies and ways of working. But leaders are taking a long-term view, and recognise that achieving their ambitious transformation goals requires skills and resources they don’t currently have within their organisation. It’s crucial that they develop one strategy for talent and transformation, and help their workforce acquire the skills they need to thrive in their organisation and in the future job market.”

_{Alastair Woods

Workforce Transformation Partner, PwC UK}

Workers trust their leaders to guide them through critical change

Despite the breadth of changes employees are facing, the vast majority say they understand (77%) and believe in (74%) their organisation’s goals and long term strategy. There’s also a strong degree of trust in senior leadership, with 65% acknowledging their senior leaders as competent, 63% perceiving them as transparent, and 63% believing they genuinely care.

Workers ultimately understand that change isn’t negative, but uncertainty arises when they don’t know how they'll achieve it, what role they’ll play, or what it means for their job. But you can use your influence, as a leader, to guide and support them to unlock value and drive productivity regardless of the potential disruptions ahead.

“Workers trust senior leadership, but they need a path forward. Start by offering them support as they navigate new tools and ways of working. It’s then critical to empower them by building a climate of confidence and trust around experimentation with new technologies, so they’re willing to innovate and risk small failures along the way. And finally, enable their success by investing in their growth. Offer ample upskilling and reskilling opportunities, and give them access to the right resources. When leaders do this, they will build a workforce that is more resilient, more adaptable, and more productive.”

_{Sarah Moore

Head of Workforce, PwC UK}