The latest L&D news, reports, research and updates, personally compiled by TJ’s Editor, Jo Cook. This week: Why AI projects stall on infrastructure, four-generation teams and what’s rising in L&D surveys to contribute to, and new financial literacy courses aiming to sharpen civil servants’ decision-making and Governmental value for money.
Hogan Lovells Employment Horizons 2026 reveals how political instability is reshaping global workplace regulation
Global law firm Hogan Lovells has published its Employment Horizons for 2026, a comprehensive report analysing the most pressing issues impacting employers worldwide. This year’s report delves into emerging developments such as new rules on AI and data use in the workplace, shifting protections for vulnerable workers, evolving pay transparency requirements, changes to working time and family‑friendly policies, and renewed scrutiny of non‑compete agreements.
Only 4% of job postings on Indeed mention AI
AI is driving 67.5% of employee upskilling efforts at Udemy, according to the markets and industries assessed for the Future-Proofing Instinct report. According to Indeed’s 2025 AI at Work Report, virtually every job will be impacted by AI to some degree — some far more than others. More than a quarter (26%) of jobs are likely to be highly transformed by AI, and a small majority (54%) will be moderately impacted.
Even if AI cannot or will not fully replace a human at any single job, it will replace at least some elements of all jobs. It is clearly to workers’ benefit to start learning now how the tools work and how best to use them.
Who gets seen? What AI imagery reveals about representation in the UK
Generative AI is transforming how we create, communicate, and imagine – and it’s growing fast. ChatGPT alone now counts over 700 million active monthly users, while tools like Gemini are being used for everything from viral TikTok videos to professional content creation.
For those working in or with a creative studio, this shift is seismic. Image-generating tools built on large language models (LLMs) are becoming increasingly lifelike, reshaping the visual stories that define our world – from advertising campaigns and brand identities to graphic design and entertainment.
Over four million working days lost to work-place stress in the public sector
The government’s latest Employer Skills Survey shows that employers in education, health and social work, and public administration are the most likely in the UK to have provided staff with training during the past 12 months. However, all three sectors are experiencing the UK’s highest rates of work-related stress, depression or anxiety.
Recently published HSE data shows above-average numbers of public sector workers reporting health issues caused by undue pressures and demands placed on them at work. The rate of public administration and defence sector employees reporting work-related stress, depression or anxiety stands at 3.5%, while it ranks at 2.8% in human health and social work activities, and is 2.6% in the education sector. This compares to an average of 2% across all industries.
Over half of AI projects are shelved due to complex infrastructure
More than half of AI projects have been delayed or cancelled within the last two years citing complexities with AI infrastructure, according to a research report commissioned by DDN, a data optimization company in partnership with Google Cloud and Cognizant.
About two-thirds of the 600 IT and business decision-makers surveyed at US enterprises with 1,000 or more employees said their AI environments are too complex to manage.
Employers asked to share their insights on managing multigenerational teams
HR software provider Ciphr and ProAge – a UK charity focused on age inclusion in the workplace – have teamed up to launch a new survey exploring the challenges and opportunities of mixed-aged teams in UK workplaces.
There are now four generations of employees in the workforce. And each group of workers has a different formative relationship with technology and the physical workplace from the generation before. They also have different communication preferences, like different managerial or collaboration styles, have different expectations around work and workplace culture, and have different developmental needs, depending on their career stage.
What will be hot in L&D in 2026?
Take one minute to answer this question, and in February global researcher and industry thinker Donald H Taylor will provide you with an in-depth report looking at the trends in L&D internationally.
He’ll explore what’s hype, what’s happening, and which ideas have become business as usual since the survey started in 2014. It takes no more than two minutes to answer, and he would love to hear your views.
Civil servants to be upskilled in financial literacy
Civil servants across all government departments are to benefit from short courses in financial literacy, thanks to a new partnership between the Civil Service Learning platform and the Association of Accounting Technicians.
The short courses will cover topics such as “business finance basics” and “AAT essentials”, and will enable civil servants, whatever their role, to build upon their financial knowledge. Government has a wider goal of improving value for taxpayers’ money by building essential financial skills among civil servants, which in turn will help officials with responsibilities such as oversight of programmes, risk management and complex decision-making.
Read more on our sister website Civil Service World.
