New data from Generation, the global employment nonprofit, unveils trends in how midcareer workers are using and experiencing AI in the workplace.
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The report, Age-Proofing AI: Enabling an intergenerational workforce to benefit from AI, was created with grant support from Google.org and The SCAN Foundation. Generation commissioned YouGov to conduct a research study across France, Ireland, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The survey included responses from 2,610 employees over age 45 working in entry-level and mid-level roles and 1,488 employers and explores the challenges and opportunities facing midcareer and older workers in navigating the rise of AI in the workplace.
Employers in the U.S. and Europe predict sharp declines in hiring for entry-level and mid-level positions, with reductions expected to range from 22% to 64% over the next 12 months. This tightening in hiring can have an adverse impact on midcareer and older candidates.
Previous Generation research in 2021 and 2023 showed that employers consistently prefer younger candidates despite the fact that 89% of employers said midcareer and older workers perform as well, if not better, than their younger peers.
The new survey found this ageism amplified in roles that use AI, with employers indicating a preference for younger candidates. In the U.S., 90% of hiring managers are likely to consider candidates under age 35 for AI-related roles, compared to only 32% for those over age 60.
In Europe the gap was almost as wide, with 33% likely to consider older candidates and 86% likely to consider the younger group.
Of those surveyed, 15% of workers over age 45 report using generative AI tools at work.
The majority of those who do use AI tools are self-taught "power users," using them multiple times a week if not daily to perform a range of activities. They report positive impacts on their work — with more than half reporting improvements in quality, productivity, and decision-making.
A substantial percentage say AI makes their jobs more enjoyable, with 35% of U.S. workers and 58% of European workers citing increased job satisfaction due to AI tools.
However, low levels of use may be understating the growth potential. Older workers may not need to rely on AI as heavily to backfill experience gaps. But their experience and judgment may allow them to write better prompts and interpret results more effectively.
Nearly half of U.S. hiring managers (47%) and 29% of European employers have begun providing AI tools to their workforce, with many more planning to roll them out in the next 12 months. Over 90% now offer some form of training support for workers using AI.
That support takes different forms, with only about 50% saying they offer formal training, and many making self-service or other resources available.
But employers still have progress to make in identifying what support is most effective and bridging that gap for their employees. In our survey, worker interest in AI was mixed.
Out of workers over age 45 not currently using AI tools, 24% in the U.S. and 36% in Europe expressed interest in learning to use them.
But another quarter were neutral or unsure, and nearly a third of the nonusers in the U.S. and 17% in Europe declared they are not interested in AI at all. This ambivalence is consistent with recent research that found it isn't obvious to experienced workers how AI can fit into their work.
This gap points to a need for employers to marry the experience of midcareer and older workers with skills to unlock the full benefit of AI by finding use cases that incorporate AI into specific roles and experience levels. ■