AI isn't killing UK jobs. Yet

By Peter Springett · 27 October 2026

Is AI killing jobs?

Well yes, but not much.

6% of UK firms with 10 or more staff that use AI say it has reduced their headcount according to the ONS Business Insights and Conditions Survey, published 8 October. Fewer than 1% reported that their headcount had increased. These proportions have remained broadly stable over the last year according to the survey.

Meanwhile adoption is still steady but unspectacular with clear correlation between number of employees and the take up rate. Businesses with 250+ employees are at 50% while the 0-49 employee adoption rate sits at 36%.

My take remains. Any small business that I train sees a leap in productivity of between 10 and 20%. That's a huge step for half a day in a workshop plus the monthly software subscription. Say £20 per employee.

Unconstrained by legacy software and business hiearchies, small businesses should be much further ahead. Imagine everyone of the UK's small and medium organizations achieving improvements on this scale. The impact on the overall economy would be enormous.

I'm also unconvinced that small businesses will start laying off staff. "Among U.S. small firms, those using AI expect to grow their headcount more than those that don’t. Net hiring expectation is +33 for AI users against +15 for non-users." (Liberty Street Economics).

From personal experience, I've helped one builder reduce the time to build a detailed estimate from a day to two hours. If you end up winning more business you don't have to take it of course. But the opportunities for growth and hiring are there.

You just need put aside half a day and £20 pounds a month.

Get in touch if you want to find out how to get started. It's really not that hard.

Sources:
ONS, Business insights and impact on the UK economy, published 8 October 2026
Liberty Street Economics, Will Aarons and Asani Sarkar, published 8 Oct 2026