AI anxiety drives surge in upskilling among workers | edX survey

By: Jessica Bryant, Edited by: Joey Morris

Published: June 5, 2025

Rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) are driving workers to adjust their skillsets as they worry about the future of their careers.

In a recent edX survey of 929 employed adults, 62% report that AI advancements have them considering upskilling or reskilling to remain competitive and secure in their careers, either by building on existing skills or learning entirely new ones.

This may be because about half of the surveyed workers say advancements in AI pose a threat to their jobs (47%) and to other workers across their industry (49%).

The majority of workers (54%) also agree that AI-related skills are very or extremely important for remaining competitive in their careers.

Among current workers who are also managers or supervisors, the urge to upskill or reskill due to AI is even stronger. Nearly three-quarters of managers (73%) say advancements in AI have them considering upskilling or reskilling.

Further, 65% of managers say AI-related skills are important for remaining competitive in their careers.

Across generations, millennials are most likely to express concern about AI posing a threat to their jobs (54%) and to other workers in their industry (56%). They are additionally most likely to say they are considering upskilling or reskilling (67%) and to say AI will impact their immediate career goals (60%).

Millennials aren't just the most concerned — they're also investing heavily in future-proofing their careers. Nearly half (45%) say they plan to spend over $5,000 on additional education and training this year.

Workers want AI education, hope to advance careers

Despite current workers' concerns about AI advancements, most (61%) believe that emerging AI technology improves people's ability to upskill or reskill. This is particularly true among millennials, with 68% echoing this belief.

That's why it comes as no surprise that 2 in 3 workers (66%), including 71% of millennials, are at least somewhat likely to pursue AI-related education or training in the next six months. Just 4% are already engaged in AI-related training.

The majority of workers who are at least somewhat likely to pursue AI education (80%) say they want to learn AI skills related to their current job. However, nearly 1 in 5 (18%) intend to learn AI skills unrelated to their current job, while just 2% are unsure. This shows that while most may see AI as a tool to augment their current career or work responsibilities, at least some current workers may be using it as a gateway to a new career pathway.

Further, workers may also wish to set themselves apart from their peers as an AI skills gap has emerged throughout the workforce.

Most (58%), including 65% of managers, say their industry currently lacks AI expertise.

This sentiment holds true across all sectors. Even in tech, 70% of workers agree that there is a lack of AI expertise in their industry — a 12 percentage point difference from all workers. Just under 3 in 5 workers in business and finance (57%) say the same.

Several studies in late 2024 found that as companies began to rapidly embrace AI, a skills gap formed. Now, both non-supervising workers and managers are noting this gap throughout their industries and are taking steps to improve their personal skillsets.

Methodology

This survey was conducted from May 6-13, 2025, and was fielded by Pure Spectrum. Survey participants included 1,002 adult respondents nationwide who were currently employed (93%) or seeking work (7%). Ninety percent of respondents were ages 18-60. The respondents for the survey were screened by various quality checks, including systems like Relevant ID, and responses were manually reviewed to ensure consistency and accuracy.