Representative survey: 90 percent of German skilled workers expect massive task changes from AI and robotics - two-thirds fear job loss
What it really says
The German representative study 'AI & Robotics Future 2026-2036', conducted under the project leadership of Dr. Frank Weirauch, surveyed 1,477 people aged 18 to 63. The results show that the transformation through AI and robotics is already perceived as an immediate reality, no longer just a future topic. 72.9 percent of respondents expect AI and robots to participate in management decisions at CEO or co-CEO level in the future. Among skilled workers, the perception is even more pronounced: 90.5 percent expect massive changes to their task profiles, and two-thirds of them see a concrete risk of job loss. The study describes a fundamental transformation of job profiles: clerks become process pilots, managers become decision-makers with AI copilots, and technicians become interface managers between humans, machines, and data. This transformation no longer affects only factories and warehouses but has reached office work, medicine, retail, banking, gastronomy, facility management, law firms, and care facilities. A central concept of the study is the transition from classical automation to autonomous 'Physical AI': machines, robots, and AI systems no longer just execute pre-programmed sequences but independently analyze, make decisions, and increasingly take over tasks in physical space. The automotive industry is identified as particularly affected.
Our assessment
The numbers sound dramatic but deserve a nuanced interpretation. Most importantly: the study measures expectations and fears of the population, not actual labor market developments. That 90 percent of skilled workers expect changes does not mean 90 percent of jobs will disappear. In fact, a parallel study by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy shows that AI has primarily been transforming job profiles rather than employment itself. International data supports this picture: a Gallup survey of 23,700 US employees from February 2026 shows that 49 percent already use AI professionally and daily usage has risen from 4 percent in 2023 to 13 percent, but mass unemployment due to AI has not materialized. Nevertheless, the study has an important core truth: the speed of transformation overwhelms many people. If clerks are to become process pilots, massive retraining programs are needed that currently do not exist at sufficient scale. The real fear is less about job loss and more about whether one can manage the transition. This is where political responsibility lies: not whether jobs change, but whether people are supported through the change.
Relevance for Germany
The study hits Germany at a critical juncture. In 2026, we are experiencing for the first time the historic tipping point where fewer people enter the labor market than leave it - demographic change meets AI transformation. This has a paradoxical consequence: while skilled workers fear job losses, companies are desperately searching for workers. According to Bitkom, 137,000 IT positions were unfilled in Germany in 2026. The real challenge is not too little work but the gap between existing and needed qualifications. The EU Pay Transparency Directive, due to be transposed into national law by June 7, 2026, will make this dynamic even more visible by disclosing which qualifications are actually compensated. For people worried about AI, there is both a reassuring and a concerning finding: reassuring that the German labor market structurally has too few rather than too many workers; concerning that the transformation of job profiles requires substantial retraining and existing programs cannot keep pace. The Federal Employment Agency and Chambers of Industry and Commerce face the task of building retraining programs at a speed matching technological development.
Fact check
The primary source is the Presse.Online report on the 'AI & Robotics Future 2026-2036' study under the project leadership of Dr. Frank Weirauch. The core numbers - 1,477 respondents, 72.9 percent expecting AI participation in management decisions, 90.5 percent of skilled workers expecting massive task changes - come directly from the study summary. Independent verification of methodology and sample is not possible from available sources, as the full study documentation was not yet publicly accessible at the time of reporting. For context, the Kiel Institute for the World Economy study was referenced, which shows based on online job postings that AI has been transforming job profiles rather than employment numbers. The Gallup figures on AI usage (49 percent professional use, 13 percent daily use) come from a survey of 23,700 US employees from February 2026 and are not directly transferable to Germany. The figure of 137,000 unfilled IT positions comes from the Bitkom study report 2026.
Source
- • https://presse.online/2026/06/01/ki-und-roboter-veraendern-deutschlands-jobs/
- • https://www.kielinstitut.de/publications/news/ai-is-transforming-job-profiles-not-employment/
- • https://www.boerse-express.com/news/articles/ki-arbeitsmarkt-2026-49-nutzen-ki-fuer-kognitive-aufgaben-909168
- • https://www.bitkom.org/Bitkom/Publikationen/Der-Arbeitsmarkt-fuer-IT-Fachkraefte