New Data Shows AI Anxiety Moving From The Front Office to the Front Lines

Wage to Wallet™ Index - The Resilience Deficit: Labor Workers in an Automated Economy

AI disruption is no longer centered on higher-paying jobs. New PYMNTS Intelligence data show it is moving into the Labor Economy, where many workers have less training, less financial cushion and less confidence they can recover if technology changes their jobs.

Read more in the April 2026 Wage to Wallet™ Index, “The Resilience Deficit: Labor Workers in an Automated Economy,” a collaboration between PYMNTS Intelligence, WorkWhile and Ingo Payments.

Inside the April Index

Confidence is slipping more among lower-income hourly workers as AI and automation spread through the workplace, leaving them feeling less prepared to handle cuts in hours, job changes or displacement.
More than one in three Labor Economy workers say new automation or AI has been introduced at their workplace, yet many have not received training on the new tools.
Labor Economy workers are less likely than higher-income workers to say they could find comparable-paying work if their role disappeared. They are also less likely to have savings to fall back on and more likely to rely on government assistance.