Swiss workers use AI, but few see its benefits

Context

In brief

• 28% use generative AI every day in Switzerland
• Only 10% see improved work quality
• 14% feel more motivated or confident
• Up to 9% believe that AI fosters skills and creativity

Key facts

• Research → «Hopes and Fears» 2026 by PwC
• Swiss sample → 1000 employees
• Period → between May and June
• Daily use of generative AI → 28%
• Global average of daily use → 22%
• Clear improvement in work quality → 10%
• Motivation or confidence thanks to AI → 14%
• Skills and creativity fostered by AI → up to 9%

28% of Swiss workers use generative AI every day, compared with the global average of 22%. This figure comes from the 2026 edition of the «Hopes and Fears» research conducted by PwC, which describes a cautious relationship with artificial intelligence tools: in Switzerland, usage is higher than the international average, but perceived benefits remain limited.

Only 10% of respondents see a clear improvement in work quality. 14% say they feel more motivated or confident thanks to these tools. Up to 9% believe that AI fosters skills and creativity, while 22% say it helps them manage more complex tasks. The data show a gap between frequency of use and perceived benefit.

Frequent use, less clear benefits

The figure should be read on two levels. On the one hand, the 28% indicates daily use by a portion of the Swiss sample. On the other, the percentages for quality, motivation, skills, creativity and complex tasks indicate that using the tool is not automatically associated with a better result. In the text, the proposed response involves support and targeted training, not daily use alone.

Teena Madhvani, an executive at PwC Svizzera, argues that job security and salary are not enough to attract and retain talent. Trust, flexibility, a strong corporate culture and transparent development opportunities are also needed. To make AI truly useful, she adds, support and targeted training are necessary.

For the 2026 edition, 1000 employees in Switzerland were interviewed between May and June. Globally, approximately 50'000 active workers in 48 countries participated in the research. The Swiss sample is therefore part of a broader survey, which places the national figure alongside the global average for the use of generative AI.

Operational details

Security today, future skills

The second section of the research shifts the focus from the use of AI to the perception of job stability. 66% of Swiss workers feel secure in their jobs for the next twelve months, but only 27% are optimistic about demand for their skills three years from now. The gap between the two time horizons indicates that immediate security does not coincide with confidence in the future marketability of one’s skills.

Another signal concerns trust. 21% trust their direct supervisor and 17% top management, while only 19% say they clearly know which skills will be required in the future. The perceived problem therefore concerns not only technology: it also includes the relationship with the hierarchy and the ability to orient oneself toward what will be needed.

The signals that influence the choice of a job

The 54% share indicates that a culture perceived as negative can become a reason to reject a job. The 40% instead signals the limit placed on control in the workplace. Together, the two shares describe a demand for trust and room for autonomy.

For those reading annunci di lavoro, the practical implication is to look beyond security and salary: the source identifies trust, flexibility, a strong culture and transparent development as elements capable of attracting and retaining talent. The comparison with aziende che assumono can therefore start from these criteria, without reducing the choice to compensation alone.

The same message applies to the introduction of AI. Technology is perceived as useful when accompanied by support and targeted training. For organizations, the research therefore brings together two dimensions: making the tools usable and making the career path clear. For workers, this means evaluating tasks, future skills and the quality of the environment together.

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Key points

From research to a personal assessment

The survey can become a personal assessment framework. It is not enough to ask only whether AI is being used: it is necessary to separate usage from the perceived effect and from the conditions that make it useful. The steps follow the themes indicated by the research.

Four operational steps

1. Map the tasks. Distinguish the activities in which AI helps manage more complex tasks from those in which no clear improvement in quality can be seen. The question is not how often the tool is used, but what result is recognized.

2. Verify the support. Ask whether targeted support and training are available to make AI truly useful. The source identifies these two elements as necessary, so they should be considered together with everyday adoption.

3. Check the skills. Compare current activities with the skills that are expected to be required in the future. If the picture is unclear, the research shows that visibility into development remains an open issue.

4. Assess environment and autonomy. In a current job or a new one, examine company culture, flexibility, autonomy, trust, and level of control. These are the factors that the research places alongside security and salary.

For those considering new opportunities, this assessment prevents them from focusing on just one factor. For those already employed, it provides a framework for focusing the comparison on training, support, trust, and transparent development. The same framework makes it possible to distinguish frequent use of AI from use perceived as truly useful, without confusing adoption with results.

To connect this assessment to monthly income, use calcolatore stipendio.

Source: tio.ch