AI-driven job shift puts skills, trust in focus

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the structure of work, but companies' ability to benefit from the technology will depend on whether they can help employees build skills, confidence and trust, senior executives from global HR and payroll solutions provider ADP said recently.

Jessica Zhang, senior vice-president for Asia-Pacific at ADP, said AI is reshaping work by breaking traditional roles into individual tasks, shifting the focus from job titles to specific activities people perform and the value they create, a shift the company describes as the "Great Job Unbundling".

Speaking on the sidelines of the recently concluded 2026 Summer Davos, also known as the 17th Annual Meeting of the New Champions, in Dalian, Liaoning province, Zhang said AI is reshaping work tasks while further highlighting the unique value of human judgment, creativity and connection.

According to ADP's People at Work 2026 study, about half of workers globally use AI every week, while 20 percent use it almost daily. In China, more than one-quarter of workers use AI almost every day, and 73 percent use it several times a week, the study showed.

Zhang said the rapid integration of AI into daily work has also exposed what ADP calls a confidence gap, as many workers remain uncertain about their job security and future skills.

ADP Research showed that only 22 percent of workers globally believe their jobs are secure and will not become obsolete, while the figure stands at 18 percent in Asia-Pacific. The study also found that only 26 percent of workers globally believe they have the skills needed for career advancement, compared with 22 percent in Asia-Pacific.

For companies, skills mobility should not be treated only as an individual responsibility, but as an organizational capability that needs to be actively built, Zhang said.

She said employers need to communicate more transparently about how roles will evolve, invest in targeted skills development and build smoother mechanisms for internal talent mobility.

ADP Research showed that workers who feel secure in their roles are six times more likely to be fully engaged, half as likely to quit and 3.3 times more likely to report high productivity.

Lily Ma, general manager for North Asia at ADP, said companies should keep AI governance people-centered as AI evolves from a workplace tool into what she described as a "digital colleague".

"For companies, the key is not how many AI tools they deploy, but whether those tools truly serve people," she said.

Ma said companies should judge AI adoption not only by efficiency gains, but also by whether it helps employees make better decisions and preserves room for human judgment.

She added that AI governance should also strengthen accountability and support fairness, transparency, explainability and trust.

This is particularly important in human resources functions such as recruitment, training, performance management, scheduling and employee services, Ma said.

In these areas, AI is not merely changing workflows, but also shaping how employees experience work, understand their organizations and build trust in employers, she said.