Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2026: Unlock the Workforce Advantage
Summary
Nearly two-thirds of workers (64%) now use AI at work, but only a minority are seeing the rewards. Based on a global sample of nearly 50,000 workers, this survey finds a workforce splitting into 4 cohorts: a confident group of AI-enabled "front-runners" (14%), a squeezed "engine room" of core workers (56%), and 2 middle groups, the "AI insurgents" and the "indispensables". Trust in management fell 7 percentage points in a year, access to learning is shrinking, and managers are stretched. The paper sets out 3 actions for leaders: make tough choices to engage a divided workforce, rewire work to turn AI into value, and empower workers and managers to embrace change and build new skills.
Key Insights
- 64% of workers used AI at work in the past 12 months (up 10 points), and daily GenAI use rose from 14% to 22%.
- The workforce splits into 4 cohorts: front-runners (14%), the engine room (56%), AI insurgents and the indispensables.
- 51% of front-runners use GenAI daily, compared with 11% of the core workforce, and most of the core workforce say they have never used AI.
- Trust in management fell 7 percentage points year-on-year, and less than half of the global workforce now trusts top management.
- Only 33% of engine room workers trust top management (40% trust their immediate manager), against 75% and 82% for front-runners.
- 29% of front-runners are very or extremely likely to change employer in the next year.
- Access to learning and development fell from 59% to 51%, and sits below 40% for the engine room against nearly 80% for front-runners.
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About the Author
Hammad Zubair
AI Transformation Leader | Founder of Zylo Technologies | Helping businesses unlock value through AI.
Hammad Zubair is an AI Transformation Leader and Founder of Zylo Technologies. He helps businesses discover practical AI opportunities that reduce costs, improve efficiency, and accelerate growth. Through AI readiness assessments and transformation strategies, he enables organizations to identify high-impact automation and AI implementation opportunities.