One in four Australians feel jobs are safe, ADP says

ADP Research found that 25% of Australian workers believe their jobs are safe from elimination, according to the first chapter of its People at Work 2026 report.

The survey points to sharper anxiety among younger employees. Only 18% of Australians aged 18 to 26 said they felt secure in their role. Workers aged 27 to 39 were the most confident group, with 29% saying their jobs were safe from elimination.

Australia's results sit slightly above the global and regional figures, but still reflect broad unease about long-term job security. Across all markets surveyed, 22% of workers worldwide strongly agreed that their job was safe from elimination, compared with 18% across Asia Pacific.

No market in the survey produced a majority of workers who believed their jobs were safe. The research covered more than 39,000 working adults in 36 markets and examined sentiment by geography, job type and employer size.

Job security

The data also linked workers' sense of security with engagement, productivity and retention. Globally, employees who felt their jobs were secure were twice as likely to say they had no intention of leaving, six times more likely to be fully engaged, and 3.3 times more likely to report high productivity.

That connection is likely to draw attention from employers facing skills shortages and staff turnover. The figures suggest perceptions of job security are not just a workforce sentiment measure, but are also tied to day-to-day business performance.

Australia's labour market has remained relatively firm, yet the survey suggests confidence in the future of individual roles is weaker than headline employment data might indicate.

"Australia's labour market continues to demonstrate resilience, with employment growth remaining steady and unemployment relatively low. Yet our research paints a different picture of how workers are feeling," said Kylie Baullo, General Manager for Australia, New Zealand and Japan at ADP.

"Only one in four Australian workers believe their job is safe from elimination, suggesting many are thinking beyond whether they have a job today to whether their role will still exist in the years ahead," Baullo said.

Differences emerge

The report found notable differences by type of work. In Australia, knowledge workers were the most likely to feel secure in their roles, with 35% saying their jobs were safe from elimination.

That compared with 20% of skilled task workers and 19% of repetitive task workers. The gap suggests workers in roles that rely more heavily on routine or repeatable tasks are less certain about their future place in the workforce.

Employer size also appeared to shape confidence. Employees at medium-sized organisations with 250 to 999 staff, along with those at organisations with more than 1,000 employees, reported the highest levels of job security. Workers at small businesses with 1 to 249 employees were the least confident.

Across Asia Pacific, confidence also varied by sector. Finance and insurance workers were the most confident about job security at 25%, while employees in accommodation and food services were the least confident at 14%.

The findings come as companies continue to assess the effects of artificial intelligence, automation and demographic change on staffing and work design. For employees, that appears to be raising questions not just about current employment, but about whether existing roles will continue in their present form.

Baullo said employers had a role to play in addressing that uncertainty through clearer communication and training.

"As AI continues to reshape how work gets done, Australian employers have an opportunity to build confidence by clearly communicating how roles are evolving and investing in the skills employees need to adapt. Organisations that prioritise continuous learning and give employees greater visibility into future career opportunities will be better placed to retain talent, improve engagement and build a more resilient workforce," Baullo said.

ADP Chief Economist Dr Nela Richardson drew a direct line between confidence and business outcomes.

"Job security has become a business issue, not just a workforce sentiment measure," Richardson said.

"When employees feel confident about their future with an organisation, they are more likely to stay committed, perform at their best and contribute more effectively. Employers that pair honest communication with meaningful skills investment will be in a much stronger position to build a resilient workforce," Richardson said.