Society Many young people are worried about their professional future because of AI
More than one in five young people (22%) fear that artificial intelligence (AI) could threaten their own career plans. This was revealed by the Sinus Youth Study commissioned by health insurer Barmer in fall 2024, which was made available to the AFP news agency.
27.10.2025, 06:00
SDA
In 2023, 17% still shared this concern. In contrast, 23% were not at all worried that AI could thwart their career ideas, while 46% felt their prospects were "not at all" at risk. Around 2000 young people across Germany were surveyed in the fall of 2024.
Almost one in four respondents (23%) envisaged a career in the IT sector - 19% of whom felt their career plans were threatened by AI. In electrical engineering, 27% and in production, 24% of 14 to 17-year-olds felt their professional future was threatened by AI.
"Uncertainty about the right career path, which is intensified by digital transformation, automation and location competition in the global economy, has been one of the biggest concerns of young people for years, despite demographic change," explained Barmer CEO Christoph Straub.
According to the study, 78% of respondents put salary in first place when it comes to their expectations of future employers. Appreciation and recognition followed in second place with 62 percent.
