Transformations, Skills, and Learning Barometer 2026

To mark its 100th anniversary, the Cegos Group analyses global changes in the world of work and their impact on the future of training. In this special edition of its international barometer “Transformations, Skills, and Learning,” the global leader in professional training highlights trends affecting organisations: the rise of artificial intelligence, the rapid evolution of professions, and the need to continuously adapt skills.

Methodology

The online survey was conducted in December 2025 and January 2026 across 11 countries in Europe (including the UK), Asia, and Latin America. It brings together the perspectives of more than 5,500 employees and nearly 500 HR and training decision-makers within organisations with more than 50 employees.

Major Trends: AI and Upskilling at the Forefront

The survey identifies training as a strategic lever at the heart of collective performance.

Impact of AI: 68% of HR directors rank AI and automation as the top transformations impacting skills over the next two years.

Job Evolution: Whilst 31% of employees fear their job will disappear, 74% expect significant changes to the nature of their work.

Skills Obsolescence: HR directors estimate that 23% of current jobs are at risk of skills obsolescence within three years.

Strategic Priority: 91% of HR professionals and 78% of employees state that skills development is strategic for their organisation.

To cope with these transformations, HR directors are prioritising upskilling (65%) and internal mobility (57%) over recruitment (46%).

Grégory Gallic, Director of Custom Projects at Cegos, notes: “The sustainable solution lies in the continuous development of skills internally… the strategic lever is to engage everyone in a culture of lifelong learning”.

The Disconnect in AI Adoption and Training

Whilst generative AI is widely used, adoption remains more personal than professional.

Usage Gap: 79% of employees use generative AI for personal purposes, but only 64% use it for professional purposes.

Lack of Framework: 84% of HR professionals believe their organisation can integrate technological impacts within three years, yet only 28% have formalised and shared AI usage guidelines.

Training Deficit: Only 32% of employees have received AI training through their organisation. Nearly half (46%) of employees have trained themselves spontaneously through personal experimentation or peer exchange.

The Future of Learning & Development (L&D)

Training formats are evolving toward “just-in-time” solutions integrated into the workflow.

“Time to Competency”: Whilst 77% of HR professionals claim their organisation is agile in meeting training needs, 41% of employees feel training comes too late.

Preferred Methods: 64% of HR professionals favour on-the-job training, and 68% support integrating training into daily work.

AI as a Lever: 63% of organisations use or plan to use generative AI for training. 57% use AI specifically to personalise learning paths, a 20-point increase in three years.

Measuring Impact: For the first time, HR professionals cite measuring the impact on operational performance (55%) as their top priority, ahead of trainee satisfaction.

Looking Ahead to 2035

Employees and HR envision a world of work that is more tech-centric (56%), mobile, and agile.

The top priority by 2035 will be developing distinctive human skills — such as critical thinking and creativity — that distinguish humans from AI (23% of employees / 21% of HR).

Interestingly, supporting the ecological transition remains a lower priority, cited by only 9% of employees and 8% of HR.

Despite the speed of change, confidence is high: employees rate their ability to adapt at 7.1/10. However, confidence in their organisation’s ability to adapt is slightly lower at 6.9/10.