Employees prioritize pay and upskilling, new report says

By the numbers: In a survey of 7,999 adults from July 19–25, Edelman found the economic optimism gap between executives and associate-level, individual contributors continues to worsen.

• 78% of executives are optimistic about the next five years, while only 39% of individual contributors agree.
• This gap has widened in recent years — from 26 percentage points in 2019 to 39 points now.

The big picture: Americans are struggling to pay for everyday expenses given rising costs, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

• Plus, the steady drip of layoff news paired with labor battles and AI's unrealized impact on the workforce is causing employees to stress about job security.

Zoom in: For these reasons, sustainable employment is a top priority for job seekers, the Edelman report found.

• Roughly 9 in 10 of those surveyed expect employers to provide wages that keep up with the cost of living, while 82% say that upskilling and training are also necessities.

Zoom out: Concerns over job growth have also caused a trust chasm between executives and associates.

• Associates are 2.5 times less likely to trust their CEO than those in more senior roles and are more inclined than executives to trust their coworkers.

Yes, but: "My employer" still remains the most trusted source for information, according to the report.

• Employees are 16% more likely to trust news and information shared by their employer than they are the media or national government.

What to watch: AI's looming presence is driving factor in shifting employee mentality, says Edelman CEO Richard Edelman.

• "AI is the next globalization, meaning it's not that jobs are going to go to India, it's that jobs are going to go to machines," he said.

More on Axios: 10% of workers are vulnerable to AI, advisers tell Biden

• Trust gap between executives and workers widens