The Work Foundation at Lancaster University responded to the Public opinions and social trends figures for June 2026 released by the Office for National Statistics. Aman Navani - Senior Research and Policy Analyst, Work Foundation at Lancaster University - commented:

“The new Prime Minister arrives in office at a time when an increasing number of people are worried about the future of employment in the UK. One in two UK adults (54%) are worried about employment, which has risen by 13 percentage points on the year.

“As concerns about employment rise, new Work Foundation analysis has found that one in eight employers (12%) have made redundancies in the last year, with the labour market continuing to slow down and real wages beginning to stagnate.

“The impact of artificial intelligence appears to be compounding these fears about the job market. One in three adults think that AI could put their job at risk. Worryingly, this rises to nearly half of adults under 50. Results indicate UK adults increasingly believe AI’s risks outweigh its benefits with only 9% of adults believing that AI will improve their job prospects. At a time when real wages are under pressure, around one in three adults under 50 fear AI could reduce their income.

“While the wider evidence is inconclusive about whether AI is currently driving unemployment, it is likely it will have a significant impact on the labour market in the years ahead.

“People are already concerned about employment, so it’s crucial that Government works with employers to ensure the workforce is at the heart of AI adoption strategies. Businesses must resist the temptation to simply chase short-term cost savings. That means prioritising introducing new technologies that can enrich existing job roles, can provide further opportunities for progression for younger workers and create new opportunities for those colleagues facing wider health challenges to achieve a better work life balance.

“Doing so will be good for workers and good for employers over the long-term.”