UK Workforce Hopes and Fears key findings for leaders:
- A two-speed workforce is emerging: Your workforce is made up of four different groups, each experiencing change differently and with different wants and needs around their careers, benefits and motivations.
- AI adoption has created a small group of frontrunners: A small portion of your workforce is feeling the majority of the benefit of AI across their work, their skills and their career progression. And leaders need to retain this talent.
- Your core workforce feels less connected to AI-enabled change: Most of your workers are still unclear on the relevance and opportunities that AI could have for them.
- But AI is not the whole story: There are a number of operational and aspirational factors at play that leaders will need to take into account to seize initiative and set the direction for their workers to follow.
- This calls for bold leadership: Those able to move at pace to reunite and tap into the full potential of their workforce stand to gain a huge opportunity to move ahead.
UK workers are adapting to AI, but they are not all moving at the same speed. Our 2026 Hopes & Fears Survey reveals an emerging two-speed workforce and what leaders can do about it. The findings reveal that, like their global peers, UK workers are learning and adapting in response to AI-led change. But progress is not equal. And a range of organisational dynamics may be widening that gap. For leaders it reveals a stark challenge: how do they catch up to their AI-enabled frontrunners without leaving the core of their workforce behind?
This calls for big decisions on where to invest, who to hire and how to develop, reward and bring together a workforce moving at different speeds, and sometimes in different directions. These decisions need to look beyond technology disruption, to also reflect the demographic, employment models and regulatory change that are reshaping work. No sector is immune – and the needed pace of evolution across jobs and skills is only increasing.
The factors at play behind AI adoption across your workforce
PwC’s AI Performance Survey showed the top 20% of organisations were receiving around two thirds of the value from AI. That same pattern can be seen in the workforce. While AI use is on the increase overall, 56% report using AI at work up four percentage points from last year, the number using agentic AI daily holds static at seven percent and genAI daily use has seen a modest increase from 15% to 19%. A gulf remains between those gaining the firsthand experience of AI in a business context and those struggling to see how it applies to their roles.
“Workers are already adapting to AI, but they are not moving at the same speed. A small group is gaining the benefits in their skills, confidence and careers, while much of the core workforce risks being left behind. Leaders need to close that gap, because this is becoming as much a question of trust as it is technology.”
Peter Brown
Global Workforce Leader, PwC UK
What’s needed is a deeper look at what is happening to organisations and the workforce in response to changes such as AI and where the benefits are being felt. Currently a small group of workers is gaining the lion’s share of the value as they rapidly move ahead. That leaves a large portion responsible for your current delivery still struggling to see exactly what it means for them.
One workforce, four different factions
This year, we analysed the impact AI was having on UK workers: on the quality of their delivery, skills and creativity as well as their perceptions of the market demand and availability of their skills. It uncovered a workforce that can be divided into four cohorts. At one end of the spectrum, the frontrunners bring strong AI capabilities. At the other, your core workforce is the engine for your current dependable delivery. In between are your “tech-first” workers with energy and ambitions and your “talent-first” workers with hard-to-replace skills but varying interactions with AI.
| Low labour market pressure | High labour market pressure | |
|---|---|---|
| High AI advantage | “Tech first” workers (AI insurgents) Tomorrow's talent hiding in plain sight 16% |
Frontrunners AI-enabled high-demand workers 13% |
| Low/no AI advantage | Core workforce (Engine room) Relied on for delivery, but least supported to adapt 62% |
“Talent first” workers (Indispensables) Proven expertise, mixed signals on how to evolve 9% |
Looked at as a whole, two differing paths are emerging. Your frontrunners are seeing their value – and the value they bring to their organisations – increase through their use of AI. They’re more engaged and feeling confident. They’re more likely to be using AI for more complex tasks. And as our AI Jobs Barometer shows, it’s paying off in their broader market value. Finding ways to connect your core workforce to some of that energy could pay dividends for organisations and their ambitions.
“The solution will be unique to each organisation, its sector, its culture and its ambitions. This is an opportunity for leaders to really define how they’re taking their people into the future, in order to gain competitive advantage.”
Sarah Moore
Head of Workforce, PwC UK
This is where you need to consider your talent management alongside your approach to AI adoption. And much like the technology, it's clear that nuance over a one-size-fits-all model is needed to connect with these different factions. Leaders will want to be smarter about the incentives and recognition tools that will nurture and retain their frontrunners. But they also need to look to how to do more to support their core workforce - from career pathways to tailored learning and job content design that makes them feel connected to the direction of travel as things evolve. With current economic pressures, how you choose to maximise your Employee Value Proposition (EVP) to speak to different group will be an important part of your toolkit.
From a technology to a workforce challenge – and an opportunity for leaders
Which organisations move ahead of the pack will rest with leaders. The complexity and pace present a challenge, but this should be embraced as an opportunity for leaders to present a clear voice and vision that cuts through the crowd and sets them apart. To investors, to their customers, to their competitors and to their current and future workforce. And it starts with a closer look at the main factors at play.
“You cannot simply add AI to existing operating models. Leaders need to redesign work, roles, reward and performance around it, while being much clearer about the skills they will need in future, particularly at the start of people’s careers.”
Alastair Woods
Partner, Workforce Transformation, PwC UK
Contact us
UK Head of Workforce Reward, Employment and Pensions, PwC United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)7956 464102
