As employers raise the bar for AI readiness, many workers are feeling pressure to keep up or risk losing their competitive edge. According to a new national survey of more than 1,000 U.S. employed workers conducted by AI resume builder Resume Now, 43% of workers say their current AI skill level is behind what they believe is needed to stay competitive.
The findings from The AI Skills Race Report show that workers are not only measuring their AI readiness against changing career expectations, but also against their coworkers, with 39% concerned that coworkers who adopt AI faster will have a competitive advantage at work.
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Key Insights:
- Workers are falling behind: 43% say their AI skills are behind what they need to stay competitive.
- Faster AI adopters are gaining an edge: 39% worry coworkers who adopt AI faster will have a competitive advantage.
- AI skills are becoming a workplace benchmark: 24% say their AI skills are behind their coworkers’.
- AI skills are becoming part of job security: 35% worry that not having AI skills could negatively affect their job security.
- Pressure is following workers home: 37% feel pressure to build AI skills on their own time to keep up with coworkers or avoid falling behind.
- AI anxiety is rising: 32% are more concerned than they were a year ago about needing AI skills to stay competitive.
The AI Skills Race Is Leaving Workers Behind
Workers are divided on whether their AI skills are keeping pace with what they believe is needed to stay competitive. When asked how they would rate their current AI skill level against that benchmark, workers reported:
- Far behind: 20%
- Slightly behind: 23%
- Adequate: 45%
- More advanced than needed: 12%
The AI Skills Race Is Driving Coworker Competition
As AI tools become more common at work, workers are paying attention to how quickly their colleagues are adapting. Thirty-nine percent are concerned that coworkers who adopt AI more quickly will gain a competitive advantage.
- Very concerned: 12%
- Somewhat concerned: 27%
- Not very concerned: 27%
- Not concerned at all: 34%
Peer Pressure Takes On a New Meaning in the AI Skills Race
Nearly one in four workers say their AI skills are behind their coworkers’, adding another layer of pressure as employees try to stay competitive in their roles. When asked how they would rate their AI skills compared to their coworkers, respondents said:
- Far behind: 11%
- Somewhat behind: 13%
- About the same as their coworkers: 43%
- Somewhat more advanced than their coworkers: 23%
- Much more advanced than their coworkers: 10%
Falling Behind on AI Is Becoming a Career Risk
As AI skills become a growing workplace expectation, some workers are concerned that not having them could negatively affect their job security. When asked how worried they are about this risk, respondents said:
- Very worried: 10%
- Somewhat worried: 25%
- Not very worried: 31%
- Not worried at all: 34%
AI Pressure Is Following Workers Off the Clock
As workers feel pressure to keep pace with AI expectations, some feel pushed to build skills outside of work hours to keep up with coworkers or avoid falling behind.
- Feel significant pressure to develop AI skills on their own time: 14%
- Feel some pressure to develop AI skills on their own time: 23%
- Do not feel pressure to develop AI skills on their own time: 63%
AI Pressure Is Not Letting Up
For many workers, concern about AI’s growing role at work is either rising or holding steady. When asked to compare their concern to one year ago, respondents said:
- Much more concerned than a year ago: 11%
- Somewhat more concerned: 21%
- About the same: 45%
- Somewhat less concerned: 9%
- Much less concerned than a year ago: 14%
“The AI skills race is turning AI adoption into a new form of workplace competition,” said Keith Spencer, career expert at Resume Now. “Workers are watching coworkers adopt AI faster and wondering whether falling behind could cost them opportunities, visibility, or job security. That anxiety is understandable, but workers do not need to master every AI tool at once. A practical first step is to focus on one or two routine tasks where AI can save time or improve their work, then document those examples as concrete skills and outcomes they can apply in current and future roles.”
To view the full AI Skills Race Report, please click here.
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