Future of Work
2026 is the year L&D operationalises AI, without losing the human touch
In 2026, L&D must embed AI into real workflows, redesign roles and focus on measurable outcomes, without sacrificing trust, culture and wellbeing. Drawing on views from leaders across HR, learning and analytics, TJ’s Editor Jo Cook explores three pressure points: human plus AI, adaptive learning, and business focus without overwhelm. In 2026, L&D has to stop treating AI as a bolt-on project and start treating it as part of how work gets done and shows up in workflows. Will organisations…
AI jobs apocalypse… or bonanza?
Will AI steal our jobs? Wrong question. AI performs tasks and most jobs involve a combination of tasks. The AI impact depends on organisational choices, not just the technology. David Buchanan and Steve Macaulay explore how the outcome for jobs depends on a combination of replacement, compensatory, and augmentation effects. AI may steal bits of your job, but very few jobs will be completely stolen. Simple admin, content generation, customer support, data entry, financial analysis, and manufacturing tasks can be…
TJ interviews: Euan Crosby on making AI work for learning, careers and talent
Jo Cook chats with Euan Crosby, Director of Global Talent Acquisition at Litmos, about how AI is reshaping skills, learning and careers. He shares why training often feels overwhelming, how personalised development makes a difference, and what organisations can do to keep people confident, engaged and growing as work evolves Training Journal: With AI being so impactful, how can organisations encourage everyone to embrace something so big, and potentially overwhelming? Euan Crosby: The opportunities for AI integration in today’s workplace are vast and, consequently, overwhelming…
What should HR leaders be looking out for in 2026?
From pay transparency to the right to disconnect, HR leaders face a perfect storm of regulation, technology and rising expectations in 2026. What really matters, what’s overhyped and where should teams focus first? Veronique Lemaire cuts through the noise with practical insight for navigating change without losing people or momentum The future of work is a red-hot topic as the global economy realigns amid developing regulations, rapid technological shifts and changing employee expectations. A third (34%) of jurisdictions predict an uptick in the complexity of HR and payroll services, according to the latest Global Business Complexity Index. This is…
How AI can help save jobs, not eliminate them
Artificial intelligence is already reshaping work, but job losses aren’t inevitable. For L&D and HR leaders, the real challenge is turning disruption into capability at speed. With the right learning strategy, AI can protect roles, close skills gaps and future-proof organisations. Skills expert Robin Adda has the tips you need AI’s presence is ever-growing in the business world, and with it, the uncertainty among the professional community that their roles will become redundant. This stark fact is already becoming apparent, with new research from Adzuna suggesting that new entry-level…
How AI will reset the worker-employer relationship on L&D
AI is quietly rewriting the deal between employers and employees, and L&D sits right at the centre of it. From mindset shifts to self-directed learning, what does this mean in practice? Yomi Tejumola explores how AI is reshaping responsibility, capability and trust at work, and what L&D should do next British businesses spent £53bn on training in 2024. At face value this sounds like a substantial figure, until you realise it’s down nearly one-fifth from 2011 according to government data. Per employee, the decline is even starker. At £1,700…
The HR & L&D trends that will define 2026
Big change is coming for HR and L&D in 2026, and standing still isn’t an option. From AI and skills gaps to retention headaches and hybrid work tensions, what should leaders focus on? Let’s break down the seven trends shaping the year ahead, with practical, no-nonsense guidance from Robin Adda 2026 is already emerging as one of the most pivotal moments for HR and L&D in modern history. Pressures across talent pipelines, ongoing debates on remote work, accelerating AI adoption, widening skills gaps and shifting employee expectations have all been building. “With thoughtful planning and a balanced approach, the pressures…
TJ interviews: Frédéric Hébert on staying skill-ready when everything keeps changing
Jo Cook sits down with Frédéric Hébert, Chief Learning Officer at Rise Up, to dig into what it really takes to stay ahead of rapid skills change. He shares practical examples, fresh thinking and why investing in people, not just technology, matters most for building future-ready teams in the workplace Training Journal: We live in a world where jobs for the youngest generations probably haven’t been thought of yet, and there’s an expiration date on many of today’s skills. How…
Left behind twice: What SEN inequity means for tomorrow’s workforce
Michelle Carson examines how early inequality and missed support for children with special educational needs shape access to learning, opportunity and progression. Drawing on findings from the Sutton Trust and Support SEND Kids, and her own experience, she explores why today’s educational gaps become tomorrow’s workforce barriers, unless we act The findings of the Double Disadvantage report has drawn national attention to a familiar but deeply troubling truth: children with special educational needs (SEN) from socially deprived backgrounds are being left…
Planning for tomorrow’s workforce, today
Cory Steinle explores how automation, AI, and shifting market needs are transforming workforce planning. By combining task and skills intelligence with ethical AI, organisations can shift from reactive hiring to proactive strategy, redeploying talent, boosting agility, and making good people decisions that keep pace with the speed of business change. Organisations are navigating a workforce landscape being reshaped by automation, generative AI, and evolving markets. By 2030 up to 30% of current working hours could be automated (McKinsey), and nearly…
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