Half of U.S. workers under 25 tie their industry’s adoption of new technology to their prospects of career advancement, according to a new study by Yooz. These workers are often the first to embrace new workplace technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation—but they express frustration when employers fail to devote enough time to employee training or to keeping up with the times.
The 2023 Yooz Survey: Technology in the Workplace, asked 600 U.S. salaried workers across industries and age groups to describe their experiences and perceptions of workplace technology in 2023.
Key findings of the survey include:
- 50% of workers under 25 agreed with the statement “the way my industry views adopting new technology is a barrier to my career advancement,” compared to 30% of workers 25 and older.
- Younger employees tend to be the first to embrace new technologies at work, with 32% of salaried workers under 25 saying they are “among the first to experiment with and use them,” compared to 22% of workers 35 and older.
- More than two-thirds of younger workers say they spend most of their work lives using workplace technologies—and nearly all (91%) agree that these technologies help them do their jobs better.
- 30% of respondents cited “slow or outdated hardware or software” as the No. 1 technological barrier to efficiency at work, followed by lack of training (24%) and poor Internet connectivity or reliability (24%).
- Respondents were asked to rank 10 industries based on their perceived technological proficiency. While the software industry topped the list, the industry that ranked lowest in perceived technology competence was construction, with the restaurant and automotive industries ranking just above it.
- Across all age groups, respondents urged employers to embrace new technologies such as AI, virtual reality and automation technology.
The industry that ranked lowest in perceived technology competence was construction, with the restaurant and automotive industries ranking just above it.
“Technology has become so central to our work-lives today that even traditionally lower-tech industries must embrace a future driven by innovations like AI and automation, both in customer-facing functions like sales and marketing and back-office functions like finance and accounting,” said Laurent Charpentier, CEO of Yooz. “Workers, and especially younger workers, understand this and look to employers that can best prepare them for this future. Companies that fail to invest in workplace technology or provide training risk losing young talent to competitors that are more forward-thinking and committed to innovation.”
