The latest L&D news, reports, research and updates, personally compiled by TJ’s Editor, Jo Cook. This week: AI anxiety climbs as productivity gains spread, temps become pathways, and the boss envies informal leaders. Apprenticeships, LinkedIn’s ‘taste test’, AI compliance pressures, job-hugging, wellbeing gaps, hybrid hiring shifts, and certifications feature.
Employers hesitate to train high-turnover workers — but training may strengthen retention
Employer-provided training “may be reinforcing, rather than narrowing, existing gaps in the labour market,” said Indeed Hiring Lab in its analysis.
- Workers feel they prioritise training more than employers do, a perception gap that can harm retention in the long run
- In the US, 67% of employees surveyed said learning was a personal priority, while only 48% said it was a priority for their employer
- Notably, workers without a bachelor’s degree were “substantially less likely” to have access to employer-provided training, potentially in part because employers do not expect workers in high-turnover jobs, which often do not require a degree, to stay
35% of managers lack confidence on neurodiversity adjustments as tribunal cases hit five-year high
More than a third (35%) of HR and compliance professionals say managers in their organisation lack confidence when discussing reasonable adjustments for neurodivergent employees, according to a survey of 495 workplace professionals by compliance eLearning provider, VinciWorks. Almost a third (30%) described managers as “not very confident” and only five per cent said they were “not confident at all.”
The picture at the other end of the scale tells its own story. Only 6.5% said managers in their organisation were very confident in these conversations. With at least one in seven people in the UK estimated to be neurodivergent, the confidence gap among those responsible for managing them carries significant workforce implications.
Companies are sitting on talent they can’t see or unlock, TalentLMS Finds
TalentLMS, a leading employee training platform, today released its Skills Visibility Report, revealing a critical shift in workforce challenges. While organizations have long focused on closing skill shortages, many now face a skills visibility gap: the inability to identify and mobilize the talent they already have—turning the problem from missing talent into invisible talent. In fact, only 12% of respondents say their organization does not face skills visibility issues.
Based on a survey of 536 U.S. employees and 964 managers, the report highlights three critical gaps:
- Perception gap: 90% of managers say they have a good understanding of their direct reports’ skills, compared with 69% of employees who say their manager has a good understanding of their skills
- Development gap: 90% of managers say they support their direct reports in developing new skills, while only 60% of employees say they receive that support from their manager
- Utilisation gap: 75% of managers say their team’s skills are fully utilized, while 49% of employees say their company underutilizes their skills
GenAI is raising the stakes in managing a global workforce
Cross-border workforce mobility is becoming a powerful retention tool as employers compete for scarce skills and respond to market and geopolitical volatility, according to the EY 2026 Mobility Reimagined Survey. The findings also show that trust in mobility functions and cross-border talent programs help maintain operational speed and improve business outcomes. Four in five employees (80%) surveyed say their most recent assignment abroad made them more likely to stay with their employer, up 32 points from 2025.
Employee expectations are also rising. Nearly nine in 10 (88%) of survey respondents say flexibility in mobility policies matters, up from 70% last year, with Gen Z almost twice as likely as other generations to rate flexibility as “extremely important.”
72% of managers said they believe employees fear AI tools will make them less valuable at work
Beautiful.ai’s third annual survey of 3,000 American managers reveals a workplace at an inflection point. Trust in AI’s capabilities is accelerating at the same time that fear—particularly around job security and wages—is becoming mainstream.
- 40% of managers said the primary reason they’re adopting AI tools in 2026 is to streamline work and improve efficiency, while 37% said it’s to enhance worker productivity. Only 9% said the primary goal is to downsize and save money on worker salaries
- 42% of managers—up 12% from 2025— said they agree it would be financially beneficial to replace a large number of employees with AI tools in 2026, while 37% disagree and 21% are undecided
Gi Group says temporary employment is the stepping stone to permanent amid job market struggles
Leading recruitment and HR specialist Gi Group UK is offering a glimmer of hope as it highlights the important role temporary work can play. As one of the UK’s largest and most agile labour market experts, Gi Group is urging candidates to consider temporary work as a pathway to permanent employment.
The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the estimated number of payrolled employees in the UK fell by 74,000 between February 2025 and February 2026, and decreased by 6,000 between January and February 2026. The early estimate for employees in March 2026 decreased further by 0.3% over the year, in spite of unemployment falling from 5.2% to 4.9%.
22% of business leaders save a full workday with AI
New data from Tech.co shows that 22% of small businesses owners are saving between six and ten hours per week by using AI. That’s not all, though. A majority are seeing productivity gains, with 54% of small business owners stating that AI technology has improved their operation in some capacity since implementation.
Informal leaders trigger jealousy in their bosses: study
More and more companies are relying on “informal leaders” — that is, employees who emerge as unofficial leaders among their peers, but a new study from the UBC Sauder School of Business shows that it can trigger supervisor downward jealousy. The effect is especially prevalent when the informal leader is seen as competent.
Tackle youth employment while helping employers build a future‑ready workforce
The UK is facing an urgent and growing demand for AI, data, digital and technology skills. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of young people are looking for opportunities to take their first step into an exciting and rewarding career.
The 1,000 AI, Data and Tech Apprentices Pledge brings these two vital needs together to create meaningful impact. If 1,000 employers pledge to take on just one AI, data or tech apprentice, this creates invaluable opportunities for 1,000 young people while building 1,000 stronger workforces.
LinkedIn’s new tool lets you test the outputs of various AI models
LinkedIn is trying out a new tool that enables users to try out the latest artificial intelligence models from various providers, as a means to “taste test” their outputs, and find the best AI tool for their needs. LinkedIn’s Crosscheck is designed to help users find the right AI tools for their needs, while also feeding relevant information back to AI developers.
Crosscheck, which is now live for LinkedIn Premium members in the U.S., enables members to try out the latest models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft and others, all in one source.
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