Workers who feel secure are six times more engaged, ADP Research Finds
A new report from ADP Research suggests that job security concerns remain widespread among Australian workers, even as the country’s labour market continues to show resilience. According to the first chapter of the company’s People at Work 2026 report, just 25% of Australian employees say they believe their jobs are safe from elimination.
The findings point to a broader sense of uncertainty across global labour markets. Around the world, only 22% of workers strongly agree that their job is secure, and no country surveyed recorded a majority of workers who felt confident their role was protected. In the Asia Pacific region, confidence is even lower, with just 18% of respondents saying they feel secure in their jobs.
Australia remains one of the stronger performers in the region, but the results still highlight unease about the future of work. ADP says that rapid advances in artificial intelligence, automation and demographic change are contributing to a climate in which many employees are questioning not only whether they have a job today, but whether their role will still exist in the years ahead.
Kylie Baullo, General Manager for Australia, New Zealand and Japan at ADP, said the country’s employment market remains relatively stable, but worker sentiment tells a different story.
“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,” Baullo said. “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.”
She said employers can play a key role in easing that uncertainty by helping staff understand how work is changing and what skills will matter in the future.
“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.
The report also links job security with stronger business outcomes. Workers who feel secure in their roles are twice as likely to say they have no intention of leaving their employer. They are also six times more likely to be fully engaged and 3.3 times more likely to describe themselves as highly productive.
ADP chief economist Dr. Nela Richardson said job security should be seen as more than an employee sentiment issue.
“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.”
Within Australia, the report found clear differences in how secure workers feel depending on age, role and employer size. Employees aged 27 to 39 were the most confident, with 29% saying their jobs are safe from elimination. By contrast, just 18% of workers aged 18 to 26 said the same, making them the least confident age group in the survey.
Job type also played a major role in shaping perceptions. Knowledge workers were the most likely to feel secure, at 35%, while confidence was lower among skilled task workers at 20% and repetitive task workers at 19%.
Confidence tended to rise with company size as well. Workers at medium-sized organisations and large employers reported stronger feelings of job security than those at smaller businesses, where confidence was weakest.
