More than half of employees in Bangladesh now use artificial intelligence (AI) in their daily work, and 91 per cent of those users say it improves their work experience. Yet at the same time, 72 per cent of employees say financial stress is hurting their productivity, up sharply from 56 per cent a year earlier.
The contrast captures a workplace changing in two directions at once: technology adoption is accelerating, but financial insecurity is deepening.
MetLife Bangladesh’s second “Employee Benefits Trends Study” found that 55 per cent of employees use AI at work, while 58 per cent of employers currently encourage or enable its use.
The study surveyed 583 employees and 126 employers, or 709 respondents in total, across readymade garments, banking, fast-moving consumer goods, telecommunications, retail, manufacturing, non-governmental organisations and technology.
Financial pressure emerged as one of the strongest shifts in the survey.
Besides the 72 per cent who said money worries affect productivity, an equal share said they expect employer support when facing significant unexpected financial stress or expenses.
Retirement preparedness deteriorated even more sharply.
Among employees aged 40 and above, 81 per cent said they had no retirement plan, up from 53 per cent in 2025.
That deterioration came even as overall job satisfaction improved to 83 per cent from 78 per cent.
Employee expectations around benefits are also rising. Interest in personalised benefits climbed to 86 per cent from 65 per cent, while 79 per cent said insurance and wellness benefits would make them more loyal to their employer, compared with 78 per cent a year earlier.
Employers appear to be attaching greater importance to benefits as well. Some 85 per cent said benefits play an important role in building workplace culture, up from 78 per cent in 2025.
Taken together, the findings point to a workforce becoming more comfortable with new technology while simultaneously looking for greater financial security and more tailored support.
For employers, that means the challenge is no longer simply whether to adopt AI. It is how to keep pace with workers’ use of the technology while also addressing financial stress, retirement planning, insurance, wellness and changing expectations around benefits.
MetLife Bangladesh CEO Ala Ahmad said the workplace of the future would depend on both technological adoption and stronger employee support.
“The workplace of the future is not only about adopting new technology,” Ahmad said. “It is about ensuring that people feel supported as the world of work changes around them.”
The survey shows that AI is already reshaping how employees work, but financial wellbeing may be just as important in determining how productive, loyal and secure they feel.
