AI use is up and the availability of training on it is down. Now, organizations’ top AI users are thinking of jumping ship.  

AI adoption is surging, but training isn’t keeping pace, and it could cost employers their strongest performers. PwC’s 2026 Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey, which gathered responses from 49,364 workers across 48 countries and regions, found that 64% of workers used AI on the job in the past year, a 10-point jump. Daily generative AI use rose from 14% to 22%. Over that same period, the share of workers who say they have the learning and development resources they need fell from 59% to 51%. 

PwC sorts surveyed workers into four groups. The “front-runners,” who have scarce skills and strong AI capabilities, make up 14% of the workforce, and 29% of them say they are very or extremely likely to change employers in the next year.  

At the other end is the “engine room,” the 56% of workers whose skills PwC describes as less scarce and who are not far along the AI learning curve. Only two in five of them say they have access to the learning and development resources they need. 

PwC’s Global Workforce Leader Pete Brown says, “Workers are under growing pressure from rising workloads, rapid change and external uncertainty. But those using AI every day are more confident, more ambitious, and more positive about their careers and prospects. The challenge for leaders is to keep developing those people but not at the expense of the rest of the workforce.” 

The report also finds: 

• 40% of workers say they have also had to apply new skills in their job over the past year; 

• 51% of senior executives and 46% of managers say they have applied new skills in their roles, and 29% of non-managers and 38% of entry-level workers say the same; and  

• 68% of AI users report confidence in their job security compared to 57% for infrequent users, they’re also more likely to ask for a promotion (+12 percentage points), trust top management (+15), and express confidence that they can learn new skills (+21). 

Looking to dive deeper? We keep an ever-growing archive of HRO Today Association member webinars. Watch now: “AI Integration: The Mistakes, The Pivots, The Wins.”