Dive Brief:
- Across eight countries, including the U.S., UK and Canada, more than 8 in 10 employed workers who use AI report saving at least one hour per day with AI tools, research by Indeed’s Hiring Lab found.
- Workers most commonly use the time freed up by AI to take on other tasks and projects, according to a May and June 2025 survey of more than 80,000 individuals across eight countries, which also included Ireland, France, Germany, Japan and Australia. Workers’ other top uses for the saved time include enhancing the quality and efficiency of their current tasks and increasing throughput on existing responsibilities, according to the research, which was released in late December.
- “We find that workers whose employers actively encouraged AI use are significantly more likely to actually use AI at work,” Hiring Lab economist Yusuke Aoki wrote in a Dec. 29 post. The implication is clear, Aoki added: “If employers want workers to use AI effectively, encouragement and training are likely to matter more than waiting for workers to adapt on their own.”
Dive Insight:
Studies repeatedly identify employer encouragement and AI training as key to AI transformation.
For example, research released in October by the London School of Economics and global consulting firm Protiviti found that AI training is critical to unlocking measurable gains. In particular, with AI training, workers can double productivity and save upward of 11 hours per week, the research showed.
“Even active AI users report insufficient training, indicating that one-time introductions are insufficient. Ongoing skill development will be essential as AI capabilities evolve,” Aoki noted in the Hiring Lab post.
Notably, although 43% of workers in the U.S. said they have used AI at least more than once per month, according to the Hiring Lab analysis, daily use may be limited to about 10% of the American workforce and is concentrated in specific roles, a December report from Gallup found.
The Gallup report also found that broader AI adoption among employees is strongly associated with employees who receive greater managerial support for AI and when AI is strategically integrated into their role.
“Simply using AI is not enough,” Hiring Lab’s Aoki pointed out. How AI is integrated into workflows makes a difference, Aoki said.
About a third (32%) of U.S. workers who saved time using AI say they use it to improve their work-life balance, Hiring Lab found. Almost a quarter (23%) redirect the time toward breaks and stress management.