UiPath, annual State of the Automation Professional Report uncovers the current reality, future, and perception of automation in the workplace.
The report, which is based on a global survey of 1,909 automation professionals and students, revealed 2024 was the year of integration and usage of AI, with 90% of automation professionals using or planning to use AI within the coming year. The report found that the primary motivation behind integrating AI into workflows is increased productivity (66%), and automation professionals are utilizing the technology in various ways including writing code (67%), creating documentation (57%), and testing (47%).
At a macro level, most professionals see that their automation teams are growing and maturing — 61% of respondents report their company has increased the number of people working in software automation in the past 12 months and 81% believe their organization will hire additional automation professionals in the coming year. With this market growth, training is more critical than ever so professionals can have a thorough grasp of automation tools and reap the benefits.
Other key findings from this year’s State of the Automation Professional Report include:
Automation professionals are satisfied with their careers: 70 per cent of automation professionals believe they will remain in the industry for the next five years. Regardless of the path they take, 86 per cent think their current job in automation will help them with any future career moves they may make.
There is trust in the future of automation: More than 84 per centof respondents believe in the growth of the software automation space, and 80% believe they will have an increasingly important role in their organisation in the next year.
Automation is maturing in organizations: 60 per cent of respondents said their organization has used software automation for 5+ years, compared to 47 per cent last year. Developers are creating automation for a range of departments, most commonly accounting and finance (67%), IT (53%), and operations (51%).
AI is embedded in automation processes: 81 per cent of respondents indicate they use AI products in their automation projects at least a few times per week, if not daily. As employees actively work to use more AI-based tools, only 19 per cent find it difficult to incorporate AI in automation.
“In the past year, the data from our survey shows progress with technological discovery and preparation for AI and automation. Automation professionals are benefiting greatly from leaping forward with specialized AI and GenAI integrations in their automation projects, with even more capable agentic AI workflows on the horizon,” said Agi Garaba, Chief People Officer at UiPath. “The combination of business automation and AI holds incredible potential to transform organizations, increasing productivity while empowering these critical professionals to take their careers to the next level.”
