Germany Leads Globally in AI Agent Use Amid Rising Job Security Fears

Nearly half of German employees (49%) now utilize autonomous AI agents in their daily work, positioning Germany among the global leaders in AI adoption, second only to the United States, according to the "Work Relationship Index 2026" by HP. Despite this high adoption rate, there is considerable apprehension around job security; 43% of AI agent users fear being displaced either by AI itself or by colleagues who have better AI skills. Furthermore, the use of AI is contributing to job ambiguity, with 43% of AI users expecting their job descriptions to become less clear in the future.

This unease is further illustrated by what HP terms "job hugging," where 60% of employees feel it is too risky to change jobs amid the evolving work landscape. Younger workers are also responding to insecurity, with 32% of Generation Z taking on side jobs as a buffer against instability. However, there has been a slight improvement in overall workplace satisfaction, with 21% of office workers reporting a healthy relationship with their work, up from 19% last year.

Adrian Müller, Vice President of HP Germany, emphasized the rapid increase in AI use and highlighted the growing need for human adaptability and continuous learning in this environment.

The survey underpinning these insights was conducted between April 15 and May 20, 2026, involving 19,506 office employees across 15 countries.