AI changed their jobs beyond recognition – now they are quitting
Key Points
- 16% of STEM workers saw colleagues quit after AI transformed their roles
- 45% say their employer struggled to replace departing specialists
- 37% believe AI is being rolled out too quickly
- 32% say senior staff now do work juniors once handled
- SThree surveyed 4,126 workers across five major STEM economies
One in six STEM workers say they have watched colleagues quit after AI fundamentally changed their transformed their roles.
Global STEM workforce consultancy SThree commissioned YouGov to survey 4,126 STEM employees across the UK, Netherlands, Germany, US and Japan between July and September 2026.
Its research found 16% of respondents had seen colleagues leave in the past year after AI changed their work to the point where it was unrecognisable.
The findings suggest AI is reshaping some technical jobs so heavily that employees are choosing to leave on their own, rather than simply being replaced.
Around 14% saw colleagues leave for AI-related reasons tied to reduced career progression, while 13% pointed to unsustainable workloads.
Almost half (45%) of respondents said their organisation had struggled to replace specialists who left in the past year.
More than a third (37%) believe their organisation is introducing AI and similar technologies too quickly to properly consider the impact on staff roles.
Career pathways are already shifting, with 32% saying senior employees now handle work that junior colleagues previously did as AI reshapes entry-level roles.
“Competition for specialist STEM skills is already intense. Businesses around the world are competing for specialist expertise just as AI transforms the jobs those people do,” said Timo Lehne, CEO of SThree.
“If experienced people no longer see the work, development or progression they signed up for, they can take their expertise elsewhere,” Lehne said.
“For employers, losing that capability can leave a gap that is difficult and costly to rebuild,” he added.
Lehne also argued that the shifting market could work in employers’ favour.
“As the global talent market becomes more fluid, businesses have a chance to access experienced specialists who may previously have been much harder to reach, including people moving between employers, industries and markets,” Lehne said.
SThree said the five countries in its survey account for around half of global R&D spending and international patent filings.
