1 in 3 Workers Think Employers Aren’t Being Honest About AI
Workers Cite Trust Gap as AI Alters Hiring and Job Expectations
More than one-third of U.S. office and knowledge workers say they do not trust their employer to explain how artificial intelligence will affect their jobs, underscoring a communication challenge for businesses adopting the technology.
The finding comes from a survey of 2,001 U.S. workers commissioned by telecommunications provider TollFreeForwarding.com. The survey found that 37.7% of respondents lacked trust in employer communication on AI’s effect on their role, while 33.3% said their employer was not being honest about its AI plans.
Workers’ concerns coincide with reports of changes in staffing and performance expectations. Seventeen percent said AI had already slowed or reduced hiring at their workplace, and 13.2% said jobs had been eliminated because of the technology. Nearly one-quarter, or 24.3%, said AI had increased employee performance expectations.
Concern about potential displacement remains widespread: 39.2% of respondents said they worry that AI could replace their current job within five years.
Responses from HR and recruitment professionals pointed to a greater reported impact on staffing. Among that group, 25.2% said hiring had decreased because of AI, while 19.3% said jobs had already been eliminated.
The survey also showed a divide between workers and senior leaders. About 43.2% of entry-level employees and 44.4% of senior individual contributors and specialists said they did not trust their employers to explain AI’s impact on their jobs. That figure was 28.7% among C-suite executives.
Banking and financial-services workers registered the highest level of AI-related trust concerns, at 47.6%, followed by technology workers at 44.4% and accounting and finance workers at 40.7%.
TollFreeForwarding.com Chief Operating Officer Jason O’Brien said employers face a trust issue when changes to hiring, staffing and work expectations occur without clear communication about how AI will be used.
Opinion Matters conducted the survey from Aug. 28 through Sept. 1, 2026, among U.S. adults in primarily desk-based, corporate, administrative, professional and other knowledge-focused roles at companies with at least 10 employees.