The latest L&D news, reports, research and updates, personally compiled by TJ’s Editor, Jo Cook. This week: Screens are eating the workweek, stressing eyes and productivity. Skills gaps widening as AI floods hiring. Learners still rate human-led training best. Stress drives mistakes and silence. Cyber teams brace for AI threats.
2026 L&D Global Sentiment Survey marks a turning point for L&D
Donald H Taylor shares insight from his 2026 L&D Global Sentiment Survey, which shows a profession leaving familiar patterns behind. AI is foundational but no longer the only story, as budgets tighten and value demands intensify. Yet practitioners are acting: embedding AI, using data, redesigning learning, and redefining L&D’s role.
Human skills lead 2026 learning demand as AI accelerates upskilling across industries
New insights by Degreed, the leading AI-powered learning system for enterprise workforce transformation, show that while artificial intelligence is transforming how professionals learn, human skills are driving what they choose to learn. As organisations prepare for 2026, leadership, communication, and problem-solving capabilities are emerging as the most in-demand skills across the workforce.
Top 10 Skills Professionals Want to Learn in 2026*:
- Leadership
- Communication
- Project Management
- Problem Solving
- Customer Service
- Microsoft Excel
- Data Analytics
- Python
- Adaptability
- Stakeholder Management
* Top skills are based on the number of learning pathways created in the Degreed platform specific to those skills in 2025
Almost half of employees fear AI’s impact on their jobs as HR leaders underestimate workforce anxiety and lag on guidance
The Access Group has unveiled research that shows 41% of employees fear AI’s impact on their jobs compared to just 25% of HR leaders, marking a disconnect that threatens to erode trust between management and staff.
The research, conducted by YouGov in December ‘25, surveying 1,000 UK employees and 503 HR decision makers, presents a dramatic perception gap, with HR leaders far more confident and less anxious about job impact than their employees, who are twice as likely to name job losses as their number one AI fear (20% vs. 9%).
Demand for HR workers is down amid AI adoption
While HR employment has grown at a much faster rate than overall employment over the last three decades, demand for HR workers is more than 20% below pre-pandemic levels as of December 2025, according to a report from SHRM, released Feb. 10.
Job postings for HR positions tend to mention artificial intelligence and machine learning skills more often than the wider US labour market, as well, SHRM said; 3.1% of HR job postings mentioned AI, compared to 2.3% of wider market postings.
Desk workers spend nearly 100 hours a week on screens, 71% say visual discomfort is reducing productivity
VSP® Vision Care released new research revealing a concerning trend: desk workers are now getting nearly 100 hours of screen time each week, with work accounting for a substantial portion of that time. In fact, on weekdays, desk workers report spending an astounding 93% of their waking hours looking at screens. The majority (71%) are experiencing performance impacts due to screen-related visual discomfort, reporting nearly a full workday of lost productivity each week.
Skills gaps may be more pronounced now than a year ago
- Only 6% of U.S. hiring managers said they had the talent they needed to complete high-priority projects, according to a recent survey from business consulting firm Robert Half
- More than half of the managers surveyed said they intended to hire permanent and contract professionals to close skills gaps in 2026, and 62% said skills gaps are more pronounced than they were a year ago
- Nearly two-thirds of managers (65%) said the rise in artificial intelligence-generated applications has made hiring more difficult, and 58% said they were having a harder time finding “truly qualified candidates” versus a year ago, per the research
Human-led training may be more effective than digital learning
Only 32% of digital learning in the U.S. is currently personalised, according to a new study commissioned by Insights Learning and Development and conducted by the Association for Talent Development. Despite this, 94% of learners surveyed said they valued personalisation and 64% said it’s extremely important to have learning personalised to their needs.
Human-led training was called “the gold standard for motivation and trust,” with 84% of learners saying they paid closer attention in live sessions, per the report. Nearly half of learners (49%) said live, instructor-led classroom training was their preferred modality and 56% said it was the most effective.
The study surveyed 445 TD professionals and 471 learners across industries in the U.S. and revealed “a clear disconnect between the recognised importance of personalisation and how consistently it is delivered in practice”.
52% are making mistakes at work due to stress
According to new research, over half of Brits (52.6%) are making mistakes at work due to stress, and 1 in 4 Brits have rung in sick at least once due to how stressed they’re feeling. The Health and Safety Executive revealed their latest statistics, showing that 964,000 workers this year have suffered from work-related stress, depression or anxiety.
The Astutis report states that over 1 in 4 (28.5%) Brits have missed deadlines due to stress, and a third (32.9%) of Brits have also clashed with someone in the workplace due to stress. The Workplace Silent Stress Survey 2025 surveyed 553 participants to find more about who they speak to, if anyone, when they’re stressed. What’s troubling is that individuals aren’t talking with their managers about their worries, which are leading to these responses. Only 4.7% of those surveyed said that they would speak to their managers about what’s concerning them, and even fewer (1.3%) engage with people in leadership roles.
The State of AI Cybersecurity 2026
Explore the data behind how cybersecurity teams are navigating these rapid and monumental technology shifts.
- 87% of security leaders say AI is significantly increasing the number of threats that require attention
- 92% are concerned with the security implications of the use of AI agents across their workforce
- 96% say defensive AI significantly improves their security capabilities
60% of Generation Zers say they will pursue skilled trade work this year
Young workers and even college graduates are looking at skilled trades more than white collar work this year in a search for stability and solid pay, a survey by a resume-assistance company shows.
Six in 10 Generation Zers plan to pursue jobs in construction, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, building maintenance and manufacturing, among other trades, according to the survey of 1,250 respondents born between 1997 and 2012 by Resume Templates.
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