Employers, Workers, and the New World of Work

With the rise of advanced technologies, we have entered a new era of revolutionizing businesses, business models, and the workforce. As employers optimistically embrace artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and other technologies, they must also focus on their most valuable asset – their employees. 

How are employers supporting employees who are needed to implement and operationalize the technologies? How well aligned are they with employees’ experience and needs during this time of rapid change?

Employers, Workers, and the New World of Work provides an in-depth view of employers’ organizational concerns, business practices, and health, welfare, and retirement benefit offerings. The report compares employer perceptions versus worker realities, and it also breaks down survey findings by company size.

The report is based on a survey of 1,900 for-profit U.S. employers and a survey of more than 6,100 workers of for-profit companies, both conducted in late 2025.

Download the report Employers, Workers, and the New World of Work and read the press release 10 Employer-Worker Disconnects Threatening Progress and Productivity in the Workplace.

Key findings:

• Disconnects in Workplace Progress and Productivity: Almost eight in 10 employers (78%) are optimistic about their company’s future and more than half (52%) indicate that advanced technologies are positively impacting their overall business and day-to-day operations. In comparison, only 56% of workers feel optimistic about their future and 49% of workers feel exhausted and burned out. 
• AI Impacts on Jobs: Eight in 10 employers (82%) are currently using or planning to use AI to augment their human workforce and, among them, 89% cite workforce implications ranging from job transformation (67%) and new job creation (50%) to job elimination (36%). Just 39% of employers believe their company's employees are worried that AI and robotics will make their job skills no longer needed, compared with 44% of workers who are worried. 
• Employee Benefits Gap: A wide gap exists between the benefits valued by workers and the actual benefits offered by employers, namely health insurance (workers: 95%, employers: 58%), a 401(k) or similar plan (workers: 91%, employers: 61%), dental insurance (workers: 88%, employers: 37%), life insurance (workers: 86%, employers: 36%), and vision insurance (workers: 85%, employers: 34%). Other important benefits with significant offering gaps include long-term care insurance and critical illness insurance, among others. 

For more findings and recommendations, download the full report and read the press release.

Methodology

The analysis contained in Employers, Workers, and the New World of Work was prepared internally by the research team at Transamerica Institute.

Employer survey: A 20-minute online survey was conducted within the U.S. by The Harris Poll on behalf of Transamerica Institute and TCRS between September 18 and October 4, 2025, among a nationally representative sample of 1,900 employed adults age 18+ who are decision makers for employee benefits at their for-profit company and employ one or more employees across all locations (“employers”).

Worker survey: As part of the 26^th Annual Transamerica Retirement Survey, this 26-minute online survey was conducted within the U.S. by The Harris Poll on behalf of Transamerica Institute and TCRS between September 16 and October 17, 2025, among a nationally representative sample of 10,015 adults plus an oversample of 2,008 workers at a for-profit company that employs one or more employees.