Outplacement and HR specialist, INTOO UK & Ireland, have warned a growing number of employees are starting to experience ‘FOBO’ (a Fear Of Becoming Obsolete) as AI adoption intensifies in offices around the country.
As data recently revealed London is one of the most “highly exposed” parts of the world for having jobs affected by artificial intelligence, Business Development Director at INTOO Matt Collier, is urging employers to ensure a focus on human skills and that building trust across teams remains central to business goals.
Matt said: “New data from our Future World of Work report shows AI and automation displacement is the single most cited five-year workforce concern across HR leaders and managers (34 per cent). The term ‘FOBO’ is now commonplace in workplaces across the UK and notably, we found Gen Z respondents (29 per cent) are the least concerned about AI displacement, while Millennials (36 per cent) are most concerned. This may reflect Gen Z’s greater comfort with technology, or a degree of confidence, potentially misplaced, that their early-career agility will protect them through the transition.
“Our findings underscore the stakes. Increasingly, organisations are reducing headcount while simultaneously seeking human skills. We can’t stress enough the importance to employers of developing vital human skills across their workforce while communicating with transparency. This will not only maintain trust but ensure that those charged with taking the organisation forward are equipped to do so.”
In INTOO’s Future World of Work Report 2026, HR managers and leaders were asked if they were clear on which human skills will be most valuable as AI grows. It revealed a 17-point percentage gap between the two cohorts, with 78 per cent of HR leaders and 61 per cent of managers saying they were confident on which human skills would be most valued in an age of AI.
Matt added: “Against a backdrop of existing job insecurity and redundancies or restructures, it is understandable to see how a rising number of workers are experiencing a fear of becoming obsolete as AI adoption in the workplace intensifies.
“Our data shows there is a big percentage gap between HR leaders and managers around the perception of which human skills will be key to taking businesses forward into the next century. Where we can help is by reminding employers of the importance of simply starting and nurturing these conversations around which skills matter to your business and then growing vital human-driven skills like empathy, ethical decision making and social intelligence which are essential to building strong, productive teams. We don’t foresee a situation anytime soon where AI will be able to replicate these attributes.
“When looking beyond the UK and across our global outplacement practice, we have seen a notable increase in organisations seeking career-transition support for those whose careers have been impacted by AI – and this is a trend we expect to see increase. Supporting those who have lost roles in this context now involves significant career-coaching around skills realignment, career-pivots and a broader reimagination as to how an individual’s career may evolve in an ever-changing world.”
Research published by UK Government at the start of the year revealed only 21 per cent of UK workers felt confident using AI at work. A new ONS report published in July revealed improving business operations is the most common use of AI, reported by over 60 per cent of larger UK businesses; however, this has not yet translated into widespread changes in overall workforce headcount.
