Survey shows some workers fear AI job threat – DW – 10/14/2025

Only 5% of employees in Germany are worried that artificial intelligence could jeopardize their jobs within the next five years, according to a new survey by the Scientific Institute for Health Insurance (WIDO) of health insurer AOK.

Two-thirds of respondents said they were “not at all concerned”, while another 23% were “rather unconcerned” about the impact of AI on their job security.

The survey also revealed limited knowledge about AI. Even in companies where it is already in use, only less than 40% of employees said they had received any related training. Nearly half of respondents said they “broadly” understand what AI means, while 47% believe they can explain it fairly well. Only 5% considered themselves experts.

WIdO director Helmut Schröder said he was surprised by the widespread lack of concern, noting that studies by the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) show that about 38% of jobs in Germany involve tasks that could be largely automated. He warned that AI systems could also take on more complex professional roles.

According to the survey, 42% of respondents said AI is already being used in their workplace, while 8.5% reported concrete plans to introduce it and 15% said it was being discussed. Only 22% said AI is not yet an issue in their work environment, and only 12% believe it will never be relevant to their field.

The survey was conducted among 2,490 employees in April.

A majority of Germans are in favor of reinstating mandatory military service, according to a new Forsa poll by Germany’s Stern news magazine.

The survey found that 54% of those in the Bundeswehr support compulsory service, while 41% oppose it and 5% express no opinion.

Support is strongest among conservative voters, with 74% of CDU/CSU supporters in favor. Among the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), 58% support a return to membership, while 80% of left-wing party voters oppose it.

The survey revealed a clear generational divide: 61% of people aged 60 and over support membership, compared to only 37% among 18- to 29-year-olds, who would be most directly affected.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Forsa has tracked fluctuating public opinion on the issue, but since March 2024, support for the resumption of conscription has clearly prevailed. The draft was suspended in 2011, but not scrapped.

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, of the SPD, has proposed a new military service law aimed at recruiting thousands of new soldiers annually, initially on a voluntary basis. Compulsory service will be introduced only if recruitment targets are not met or the security situation deteriorates.

Hello from DW’s newsroom in Bonn.

Join us as data shows that a large majority of Germans are not worried about artificial intelligence taking over their jobs.

The survey also revealed that knowledge about AI was limited, with very few workers saying they understood it well.

Meanwhile, data shows that inflation in Germany remains well above target.

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