任仕达-2026+工作趋势报告+Workmonitor+2026：The+Great+Workforce+Adaptation

workmonitor

workmonitor2026:

thegreatworkforce

adaptation.

partnerfortalent.

foreword

keyfindings

globalthemes

lookingahead

aboutthesurvey

marketinsights

contents.

3foreword.

4keyfindings.

8globalthemes.

30lookingahead.

32aboutthesurvey.

34marketinsights.

2

workmonitor2026

globalthemes

lookingahead

aboutthesurvey

marketinsights

forewordkeyfindings

3

workmonitor2026

foreword.

In2026,theworldofworkisdefinedbyadistinctcontradiction.Ononehand,

businessleadersareoptimistic:95%ofemployersbelievetheywillgrowoverthe

nextyear.Ontheother,theworkforceiswary:only51%oftalentsharethatoptimism.

Thissubstantialconfidencegapsignalsaglobalworkforceunderpressure,

drivenbytechnologicaladvances,demographicshifts,geopolitical

uncertaintyandeconomicvolatility,puttingbusinessgrowthatrisk.

Our23rdWorkmonitor—drawingoninsightsfrommorethan27,000workers,1,200employers,andover

3millionjobpostings—outlines

howbusinessesandtalentcanadapt

togethertounlockgrowth.WerefertothisastheGreatWorkforceAdaptation.

meandtheworld:

fromjobdisplacementtotaskaugmentation

First,wemustclosethe“AIrealitygap”.Whilebusinessesracetoembracea

newwayofworking,ourdatashows

that1in5talentbelieveAIwillhavea

limitedimpactontheirtasksandnearlyhalfperceiveitasmorebeneficialto

me:

theriseofself-definedsuccess

Finally,wearewitnessingtheendofthelinearcareerladder,withbothtalent

andemployersagreeingthattraditionalcareerpathsareoutdated.Talentare

nowredefiningsuccessbymitigating

theirrisks—building“portfoliocareers”andseekingsecuritythroughvariety

ratherthantenure.Atthesametime,employerswilldowelltonotethat

whilepayisthetoptalentattractor,work-lifebalanceisthegreatestleverforretention.

ByembracingthisGreatWorkforce

Adaptation,wecanbridgethe

confidencegapandbuildanewwork

orderthatenablesgrowthforeveryone.

Sandervan‘tNoordende,

CEO,Randstad

Thisleavesthemvulnerableinboththeircareersandthevaluetheycanaddtoorganizations.AIisnotarivaltolabor;itshouldbeseenaskeytoaugmentingtasksandhighlightingtheimportanceofrolesthatonly

peoplecando.

meandmyteam:

managersarekeytostability

Inahigh-techenvironment,the

“

ByembracingthisGreat

WorkforceAdaptation,wecanbridgetheconfidencegapandenablegrowthforeveryone.”

humanconnectionbecomesthepremiumcurrency.Whiletrustinseniorleadershiphasdipped,thebondbetweentalentandtheir

directmanagersisstrengthening.

Managersarenowthekeyto

stability.Theyaretheoneswho

willunlockthemultigenerational

advantage—facilitatingthe

exchangewhereGenZteaches

techfluencytoBabyBoomers,who,inreturn,transfercriticalindustry

judgmenttoGenZ.

thecompanythanthemselves.

forewordkeyfindingsglobalthemes

lookingahead

aboutthesurvey

marketinsights

keyfindings.

4

workmonitor2026

keyfindingsglobalthemes

lookingahead

aboutthesurvey

marketinsights

foreword

Workmonitor2026revealsaworkplace

markedbyeconomicstrainon

bothtalentandemployers,andAIbecomingincreasinglyembedded.

Althoughtalentaremorecautious,

theyarealsorethinkingtheirown

relevanceandfuture.Alongsidea

questfortimeflexibilityandgreaterautonomy,thereisacontinuedfocusonupskillingandaneedforgreatercollaboration,authenticityandtrust.

Basedoninsightsfromover27,000

individualsand1,225employersacross35markets,alongwithsecondary

insightsfromover3millionglobal

jobpostings,herearesomeofthe

standoutfindingsfromtheresearch.

meandtheworld

fromjobdisplacementtotaskaugmentation.

Talentarerecalibratingwhattheyexpectfromworkastheyrisetothechallengeofanincreasinglyvolatileworld.Asemployerslooktothefuturewithoptimism,theyneedtoreflecttalent’sshifting

focusintheirrecruitmentand

retentionstrategiestomaintainamotivatedworkforceandsupportworkersastheyaugmenttheir

skillsthroughAI,whilealleviatingfearsofjobdisplacement.

facingpressure

40%oftalentstatetheyhave

takenonasecondjob,while36%haveincreasedorplantoincreaseworkinghoursintheircurrentjob.Ofthosewithatraditionalfull-

timerole,27%wouldpreferafull-timerolealongsidea“sidehustle”toprovideadditionalincome,aswould20%ofpart-timers.

AIembedded

63%ofemployersstatethatthey

haveinvestedinAIinthelast12

months,andthisboostforAIhas

beennoticeablefortalent,too.59%saymoreorganizationsencourage

theuseofAI,andovertwo-thirds

(69%)feelconfidenttheycanusethelatesttechnology.

mismatchedAIexpectations

Nearlyhalfoftheofficeworkers

surveyed(47%)believeAIwillbenefitcompaniesmorethanemployees.

Andwhilejobvacanciesrequiring“AIagent”skillshaverisenby1,587%,

1in5talent(21%)donotexpectAItoaffecttheirworkatall.

40

%

63%

34%

talentwhohavetakenonasecondjobtohelpwiththerisingcostofliving

employerswhohaveinvestedinAIinthelast12months

talentwhosaytheircompany’soverallinvestmentinAIhasincreased

workmonitor2026

5

meandmyteam

managersarekeytostability.

Trustintheworkplaceisunder

pressure,yetworkremainsa

balancingforceinanincreasinglyvolatilemacroenvironment.

Collaborative,inclusiveteams

remaincriticaltoperformance,

withmanagersemergingasboth

stabilityanchorsandtrustbuilders.

trustissuesemerge

While9in10employersare

confidentinthegrowthoftheir

businessthisyear,onlyjustoverhalfoftalentfeelthesame.The

trusttalentfeelforleadershipandtheircolleagueshasalsodeclinedslightlyinthelastyear.

Similarly,collaborationisbeingputtothetest,withemployersandtalentalikerecognizingthechallengesremoteandhybridworkingcanbring.

managersandAIarebridginggaps

72%oftalentsaytheyhaveastrongrelationshipwiththeirmanager(up8percentagepointsfrom2025),

and63%feelmoreconnectedtothemthantothecompanyasa

whole.Yet,50%nowuseAIfor

workadviceinsteadofconsultingtheirmanager.

fivegenerationsatwork

Employersareclearonthe

valueofdiversity:95%believe

multigenerationalteamsimproveproductivity.Talentagree,

with78%statingtheyaremore

productivewhencollaboratingandembracingdifferentviewpoints.

Furthermore,nearlythree-quartersrelyoncolleaguesfromdifferent

generationstobroadentheir

perspectivesandfacilitatelearning.

keyfindingsglobalthemes

lookingahead

aboutthesurvey

marketinsights

foreword

81%

ofemployerssay

remoteorhybridwork

hasmadecollaboration

Iseekmorereassurancefrommymorechallengingmanagerbecauseofthecurrentvolatile

macroeconomicenvironment

60%agree40%disagree

Irelyoncolleaguesfromdifferentgenerationstobroadenmyperspectivesatwork

69%

genz(18-28years)

74%

millennials(29-44years)

75%

genx(45-60years)

78%

6

workmonitor2026

babyboomers(60+years)

keyfindingsglobalthemes

lookingahead

aboutthesurvey

marketinsights

foreword

me

theriseofself-definedsuccess.

Economicvolatilityandamore

difficultjobmarkethaveledtalent

tobemorecautiousinhowthey

navigatetheircareers.Evenso,theyarenotretreatingfromwhatmattersmosttothem.Foremployers,the

challengeisbalancingbusiness

needswiththatforindividualagencyandautonomy.

careerpathsredefined

Employersvalueskillsandexperienceoverformalqualificationswhenhiring(87%)andfeelthatthetraditional

linearcareerpath—onecareeror

companywithregularpromotions

—isoutdated(72%).Nearly2in5

talent(38%)agree,statingthattheydon’twantalinearcareerbutinsteadexperiencedifferenttypesofjobsindifferentsectors.

payattracts,andwork-lifebalanceretains

81%oftalentsaythatpayisthetopfactorwhenlookingforanewjob.

Yet,work-lifebalance(46%)remainsabovepayandjobsecurity(23%

each)asthemainreasonforstayingintheircurrentrole.

autonomydrivesloyalty

Despiteeconomicvolatility,39%

quitajobincompatiblewiththeir

personallife,upfrom37%lastyear.Yet,while72%ofemployersbelieveautonomyboostsengagement,

productivityandretention,81%don’tlettalentsettheirownschedules.

howimportantarethesefactorstoyouwhenthinkingaboutyourcurrentjoband/orpotentialfutureemployment?

pay81%

goodwork-lifebalance78%

jobsecurity74%

whatisthemainreasonyouwouldchoosetostayatyourcurrentjob?

46

%

23

%

23

%

goodwork-lifebalance

job

security

competitivepayandbenefits

Iquitajobthatdidn’tfitinwithmypersonallife

45%

43%

37%

30%

millennials

baby

genz

genx

boomers

workmonitor2026

7

8

workmonitor2026

foreword

keyfindings

globalthemeslookingahead

aboutthesurvey

marketinsights

globalthemes.

9meandtheworld:

fromjobdisplacementtotaskaugmentation.

16meandmyteam:

managersarekeytostability.

23me:

theriseofself-definedsuccess.

foreword

keyfindings

globalthemeslookingahead

aboutthesurvey

marketinsights

theme1:

meandtheworld:fromjob

displacementto

taskaugmentation.

9

workmonitor2026

foreword

keyfindings

globalthemeslookingahead

aboutthesurvey

marketinsights

AI,uncertaintyandemployability.

Talentarerecalibratingwhattheyexpectfromworkastheyrisetothechallengeofanincreasinglyvolatileworld.Economicuncertainty,therisingcostoflivingandtheimpactofAIarejustsomeofthe

factorsshapinghowtalentthinkabouttheircareersandfutureemployability.

Asemployerslooktothefuturewithoptimism,theyneedtoreflecttalent’sshiftingfocusintheirrecruitment

andretentionstrategiestomaintainamotivatedworkforce.

It’simperativetosupportworkersastheyaugmenttheirskillsthroughAIandallaytheirfearsofjobdisplacement.

businessconfidence:

“ourbusinessisontrackforgrowthinthenextyear”

95%51%

10

workmonitor2026

employerstalent

meandtheworld

adaptingunderpressure.

Withgreatereconomicpressures

onbothbusinessesandtalent,rigidtraditionalworkformatsandroles

arebecomingmorefluid.

Tohelpwiththerisingcostofliving,40%oftalentstatetheyhavetakenon,orarelookingattakingon,a

secondjob.Thisisnearlytwiceasmanyasin2024(22%).

36%haveincreasedorplanto

increasetheirhoursintheircurrentjob,upfrom20%in2024.

Youngergenerationsaremorelikelytolookforanextrajoboradditionalhoursthanoldergenerations.

Ofthosewithatraditionalfull-time

role,27%wouldprefera“sidehustle”alongsidetheirfull-timeroleto

provideadditionalincome,aswould20%ofpart-timers.

Comparedtolastyear,respondents

arelessinclinedtorequestpay

increases.Morepeoplearestaying

intheirjobseventhoughtheyare

dissatisfied.Fewerrespondents

saytheyhavethreatenedtoquit

tonegotiatebetterpayorworking

conditions.Afeelingofnotbelonging—traditionallyastrongdriverfor

movingon—isalsolessmotivationtoconsiderleavingthanin2025.

Closetohalfworryabouttheimpactofeconomicuncertaintyontheirjobsecurity(46%),withAsia-Pacifictalentthemostconcernedglobally,makingthemmorecautiousintheirjob-

relatedmovements.

Foremployers,enablingmore

diversifiedwaysofworkingcould

provideleverageforreassuringand,ultimately,retainingtalent.

globalthemeslookingahead

aboutthesurvey

marketinsights

foreword

keyfindings

helpingwiththerisingcostofliving

Ihavetakenonasecondjobtohelpwiththerisingcostofliving

43

%

45

%

genz

(18-28years)

millennials(29-44years)

31

%

38

%

genx

(45-60years)

babyboomers(60+years)

talentaremorecautioustoact

IstartedlookingforanewjobbecauseIwasdissatisfied

Irequestedapayincreasebecause

Iwasdissatisfied

Ithreatenedtoquitforbetterpayor

workingconditions

IwouldquitifIdidn’tfeelIbelongedthere

Mypersonallifeis

moreimportantthanmyworklife

●2026●2025

workmonitor2026

11

foreword

keyfindings

meandtheworld

AIbecomesembedded.

Comparedtolastyear,bothtalent

andemployersreportthatAIhas

evolvedfromtheexperimentalstagetoacorebusinesstool.

Ledbythetechnologyandlogisticssectors,nearlytwo-thirdsof

employersstatethattheyhave

investedinAIinthelast12months.

OurdataindicatesthatAIand

automationareincreasingly

replacinglow-complexity,

transactionalroles,potentially

helpingtoaddressseverelaborshortagesacrossindustriesby

boostingworkforceproductivity.

Thisboosthasbeennoticeable

fortalent,too.Nearlytwo-thirdsof

workersacknowledgeAI’spositive

impactontheirproductivity(62%)—asentimentechoedbyoverhalfofemployerswhosayithasincreasedtheircompany’sproductivityover

thelastyear(54%).

TalentalsofeelthatAImakestheirjobeasierandletsthemtakeon

morefulfillingtasks(63%).

AIcontinuestotopthelistof

desiredtraining—upfrom40%

to44%inrespondents’topthree

choicesyear-on-year,withtwo-

thirdsoftalentwantingtoseemoreinvestmentinAIskillsdevelopmentfromtheiremployers(65%).

Yet,themajorityofpeoplebelievethattheyhavetheskillstoleverageAIpositivelyfortheircareers(67%),andovertwo-thirds(69%)oftalentfeelconfidenttheycanusethe

latesttechnology.

However,thereisagapbetween

workingtypes,withofficeworkersmorelikelytofeelconfidentintheirtechskillsthannon-office-based

workers,suchasthoseinskilledtraderoleslikeelectriciansor

supplychainmanagers.

Asthejobmarketshiftsfrom

deeptechnicalAIroles—those

buildingthesystems—toAI-

empoweredtalentwhocanapplyAIandinterpretitsoutputs,skilledtradesinparticularmustfocusonboostingtheirtechnologyskillstomakethemostofthisopportunity.

ThesetrendsunderlinethatAI

isnotonlyembeddedwithin

businesses,butit’salsobecomingadifferentiator,bothfortalent

seekingtofuture-prooftheirskillsandforemployersaimingtoattractandretainthebesttalenttobuild

anAI-augmentedworkforce.

74

%

65

%

Ifeelconfidentthat

Icanusethelatesttechnology

officeworkers

non-officeworkers

talentineachregionwhowouldlikeAIdevelopmentopportunities

latinamerica

apac

southerneuropeglobal

easterneurope

northwesterneuropenorthamerica

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%

globalthemeslookingahead

aboutthesurvey

marketinsights

workmonitor2026

12

foreword

keyfindings

meandtheworld

mismatchedAIexpectations.

Beneaththesepositivedevelopments

aroundAI,however,liesalayerof

uncertainty,reinforcingtheessential

needfortalentandemployerstoadapt.

Nearlyhalfoftheofficeworkers

surveyed(47%)believeAIwillbenefitcompaniesmorethanemployees.

Athirdofalltalentinthestudy(34%)

areconcernedthattheirjobswill

disappearinthenextfiveyears,butthelargestshare—40%—saytheyarenotconcernedaboutthis.

Whatismore,thereareimportant

generationaldifferences.GenZisthe

mostconcernedgeneration,whileBabyBoomersshowgreaterself-assurance

andaretheleastworriedaboutAI’simpactandtheirabilitytoadapt.

ThereisalsoamismatchbetweentheperceptionsofemployersandtalentwhenitcomestotheimpactofAIontheirtasks.

EmployersseetasksasbeingmoresubstantiallyimpactedbyAIthantalentdo.

Overafifthoftalent(21%)expect

AInottoaffecttheirworkatall,

comparedtoonly12%ofemployerswhosaythattheimpactofAIwillbelow.Conversely,58%ofemployersexpectAItohaveahightovery

highimpactontasks,comparedto52%ofworkers.

So,whiletalentareawareofthe

importanceofAIasatool,theneedtoupskillanditstransformative

force,theyarestillsomewhat

unclearaboutthestructural

implicationsofAIontheirownrolesandfuturecareers.

Thisdisconnectrepresentsa

potentialbreachoftrustinthe

making:iforganizationsdonot

communicatetheirAIroadmaps

transparently,theyriskalienatingtheworkforcetheyneedtoupskill.

EmployersneedtohelptheirteamsseethebenefitsofAIbothfortheircurrentrolesandforlong-term

employability.ThisincludesofferingclearroutestoaugmenttheirskillsandusingAItotheiradvantage,

leveragingtheopportunitiesitpresentsasjobprofilesshift.

OrganizationsmustinvestinAI

developmentwhereitmattersmostandinwaysthattalentfeel,seeandexperienceitintheirroutinework.

Whiletalentarestilldeciphering

thefutureoftheirroles,themarket

isalreadypivotingtowardhigh-

autonomysystems;postingsfor“AI

agent”skillshavesurgedby1,587%,signalingashifttowardself-directedAIthatwillfundamentallyreconfiguretaskdelivery.Inresponse,52%

oftalentarealreadyseeking

opportunitiestofuture-prooftheirskillsindependently,takingcontroloftheirmarketrelevanceoutsideofformalemployerprograms.

47

%

ofwhite-collarworkersfeel

thatAIadoptionmainlyhelpsemployers,notemployees

howhighwillAI’simpactbeonworktasks?

58%

52%

29%

27%

21%

13%

none/minimal

partialimpact

(upto50%)

tasksautomated

●talentemployers

majorityimpact(51%to100%)

globalthemeslookingahead

aboutthesurvey

marketinsights

workmonitor2026

13

14

workmonitor2026

foreword

keyfindings

globalthemeslookingahead

aboutthesurvey

marketinsights

meandtheworld

employer-talentgapanalysis.

Employersandtalentdivergeintheirperceptionsofbusiness

growthandtheimpactofAI.Torebuildtrustandbringtalentalong,organizationsmustinvestinhigh-impactAIdevelopmentand

ensuretheirstrategiesaretransparent.

AIandproductivity

employers

talent

54%

62%

AIhasincreasedmyworkforce’sproductivityinthelastyear

AImakesmemore

productiveatwork

investmentinAI

employerswhohaveinvestedinAIinthelast12months

63%

talentwhosaytheircompany’soverallinvestmentinAIhasincreased

34%

talentwhosaytheirbusinesscoulddomoretoinvestinAIskillsdevelopment

65%

thefutureofentry-leveljobs

35%

ofGenZtalentbelievetheirjobsecurityhasincreasedinthelast12months

IamplanningtohirefewergraduatesthisyearcomparedtolastyearbecauseofAI

employers

Iworrythatentry-leveljobswilldisappearinthenextfiveyearsbecauseofAI

talent

38

%

41

%

workmonitor2026

15

meandtheworld

foreword

keyfindings

globalthemeslookingahead

aboutthesurvey

marketinsights

keylearnings.

1.

beliefneedstocatchupwithAIambition

2.

enablingfluidAIadoption

Employersmustidentifytheskillgapsarising

fromtheirstrategiesandtraintalenttofillthese,providingreassuranceandaddressingshortages

3.

agilityasa

retentionlever

Bothtalentandemployersarefeelingthe

challengingbusinesslandscape.Withsignificantpercentagesoftheworkforcetakingonsecondjobsoradditionalhourstomakeendsmeet,

itismoreimportantthaneverforemployerstoshowempathyforthepressurestalent

areunder.Takinganagileapproachtowork

ThedatashowsthatwhileAIisdeeplyembedded

inworkingpracticesformanytalentandemployers,significantgapsremainbetweentheirperceptionsofitsimpact.Toestablishtransparency,employersshouldcommunicatetheirAIvisionandstrategiesacrossalllevels.Creatingopportunitiesto

discussexpectationsandrealitieswillhelpbuildunderstandingacrosstheentireworkforce.

throughin-housedevelopment.Workers,

meanwhile,willneedtocommittolifelonglearningandadaptationtoenhancetheiremployability,withaparticularopportunityforskilledtradestoimprovetheircommandofAItofillemergingjobroles.

formatsandworkflowswillallowemployerstocreateopportunitiestosupporttalentandbuildsystemsthatallowthemtomeettheneedsofachallengingeconomicenvironment.

foreword

keyfindings

globalthemes

lookingahead

aboutthesurvey

marketinsights

theme2:

meandmyteam:managersarekeytostability.

16

workmonitor2026

foreword

keyfindings

globalthemeslookingahead

aboutthesurvey

marketinsights

trustandcollaboration.

Trustintheworkplaceisunderpressure,

yetworkremainsabalancingforceinan

increasinglyvolatilemacroenvironment.Collaborative,inclusiveteamsremain

criticaltoperformance,withmanagers

emergingasbothstabilityanchorsand

trustbuildersforworkforcesmadeupof

fivegenerationsforthefirsttimeinhistory.

theworkingrelationshipoutlook

Myworkplace

providesmewithasenseofcommunity

Itrustmycolleagues

IfeelIcantrust

theleadershipofmycompany

Ihaveastrong

relationshipwithmymanager

●2026●2025

17

workmonitor2026

foreword

keyfindings

meandmyteam

rebuildingtrust.

Inanunpredictableworld,

workplacescontinuetoprovideasenseofcommunityandstability.

Closetothree-quartersoftalent

(72%)statethattheirworkplace

doesthissuccessfully,althoughthissentimenthassoftenedslightlysince2025(79%).

Yet,trustiscomingunderpressurehere,too,withtrustinleadership

(72%)andamongcolleagues

(76%)bothdecliningslightlysincelastyear.Inbothcases,younger

generationsarelesstrustingthanolderones.APACemergesastheregionwiththehighesttrustlevelsbothtowardtheirorganizations’

leadership(77%)andtheircolleagues(81%).

Businessconfidenceisalsoaffected,withmorethan9in10employers

confidentinthegrowthoftheir

businessthisyear,butonlyjustoverhalfoftalentfeelingthesame.

Despitesmalldeclinessincelastyear,morethanthree-quartersofrespondentsstillfeeltrustedbytheiremployers(78%),and73%

feelcomfortablesharingtheirviewpointsopenly.

76%saytheycanbetheirauthenticselvesatwork—asentimentled

byoldergenerations—whilethe

numberofpeoplehidingaspectsoftheirpersonalityhasdeclinedfrom62%to56%.BabyBoomersarethemostconfidentaboutstayingtruetothemselves,withGenZbeing

themostcautious.

Evenso,polarizationinbroader

societyalsoaffectshowwe

expressourselvesatwork.43%of

respondentsstatethattheyactivelyavoidpoliticaldiscussions,while

only30%feeltheynowtalkmoreaboutpoliticsthanfiveyearsago.

54%ofemployershaverespondedtothisdevelopmentbyputtingin

placeformalpoliciesorguidelinesonwhatshouldbeconsidered

appropriatetopicsforconversationatwork.

RespondentsfromSouthern

Europeweremostlikelytosay

thattheirorganizationhaddone

so(61%),whileLatinAmerican

employerswereleastlikely(46%)tohavesuchpoliciesinplace.

Thisunderscoresthatpeople’s

continuedneedfortheworkplacetoprovideasociallyaccepting

environmentmeansrefocusing

retentionstrategiesonmaintainingandrebuildingtrust.Our

researchtellsusthatthereare

twokeyfactorsforachieving

this:strengtheningcollaborationacrossjobsandgenerations,andnurturingtheroleofmanagers.

73%

Ifeelcomfortablesharingmypersonalviewpointsatworkwithoutfearofdiscrimination

43%

Iactivelyavoiddiscussingpoliticswithcolleagues

IfeelIcantrusttheleadershipteamofmycompany

apac

northamerica

global

northwesterneuropelatinamerica

easterneuropesoutherneurope

O%20%40%60%80%

globalthemeslookingahead

aboutthesurvey

marketinsights

workmonitor2026

18

globalthemeslookingahead

aboutthesurvey

marketinsights

foreword

keyfindings

meandmyteam

managersandAIarebridginggaps.

Withtheworkplaceasananchorin

hightides,talent’srelationshipwith

managersbecomesarenewedfocus.

Almostthree-quartersoftalent(72%)

saytheyhaveastrongrelationshipwiththeirmanager,up8percentagepointsfrom2025.RelationsarestrongestinIT,financeandengineering.

Crucially,nearlytwo-thirdsoftalent(63%)alsosaidtheyfeltmore

connectedtotheirmanagerthantothecompanyasawhole.Againstthisbackdrop,peopleareincreasingly

turningtotheirmanagersforreassuranceandclarity.

Externalvolatilitydrives60%toseekreassurancefromtheirmanagers.

Thisislikelybecausetheybelieve

theirmanagerhastheirbestinterestsinmind(71%)andtrustthemwith

theircareerprogression(69%,up2percentagepointsonlastyear).

Yet,halfoftalentsurveyedstatethattheyuseAIforworkadviceinstead

oftheirmanager,withyounger

peoplemorelikelytodosothan

olderagegroups.ThisrecoursetoAImightbeexplainedbythefactthatjobinsecurityispreventingasimilarshare(55%)fromraisingissueswiththeirmanager.

Whileemployersneedtobeaware

thatAIisbecominga“go-to”for

employees,thegreatestopportunityliesindevelopingmanagers’rolesastrustarchitectsfortheworkforce.

Employersarealreadyleveraging

managersintheirretention

strategies.66%statethattheyare

activelyencouragingmanagersto

checkinwithtalentmoreregularlytoavertattrition.Nurturingmanagers

toplaytheirroleastrustarchitectsevenmoreeffectivelycouldbecomevitaltofuturetalentstrategies.

Ihaveastrongrelationshipwithmymanager

ITservices&

telecommunications

79%

financialservices

78%

engineering76%

transport&logistics

70%

manufacturing

69%

+

healthcare

69%

defense

58%

reassurance,insecurityandAIadvice

45%

55%

50%

50%

Iseekm