The modern workforce is rapidly dividing into two distinct groups, according to PwC's 2026 Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey. On one hand, there are workers who have readily adopted artificial intelligence tools, using them daily and instinctively, much like earlier generations used spreadsheets. These individuals feel energized, confident, and are increasingly asking for raises. On the other hand, the majority of workers are moving at a slower pace, with less certainty, and are being offered fewer tools to keep up with the rapidly changing work environment.
The survey, which gathered responses from 49,364 workers across 48 countries and regions, and 29 sectors, reveals a paradox at the heart of the modern workforce. Despite the rapid spread of artificial intelligence, the training that would enable ordinary workers to master it is being withdrawn. Only 51 percent of workers now say they have access to the learning and development resources they need, down sharply from 59 percent a year ago. This shortfall is most severe among the 56 percent of employees PwC calls the "engine room," who are responsible for most of the day-to-day work within an organization.
The "engine room" workers, whose skills are not scarce and who have not traveled far along the AI learning curve, are the least likely to be rewarded for using AI, acquiring new skills, or challenging the status quo. According to Pete Brown, PwC's Global Workforce Leader, "There is a real risk that the global workforce is starting to move at different speeds. More than half of workers are not yet benefiting from AI and skills in the same way, while those with scarce skills and strong AI capabilities are becoming more confident and more mobile."
In contrast, workers who use AI every day report a confidence that their peers do not share. Sixty-eight percent say they feel secure in their jobs, against 57 percent of infrequent users. They are 12 percentage points more likely to ask for a promotion, 15 points more likely to trust top management, and a striking 21 points more confident they can learn whatever new skills the job demands. The very act of using the technology leaves them feeling energized and empowered rather than tired and powerless.
The survey also reveals that the cost-of-living squeeze has tightened its grip, with only a third of workers reporting having money left at the end of the month, down eight percentage points in a single year. Nearly three in ten workers say they have significantly less bargaining power than they did three years ago, more than double the share who disagree. For fully remote workers, that sense of diminished leverage runs ten points higher.
The anxieties are not evenly distributed, with Gen Z more nervous on every measure. Change fatigue is setting in, too, with 58 percent of those who have lived through workplace upheaval feeling the past year brought more of it than any before. More than a quarter say burnout is now limiting how much they can get done. The demand to adapt is relentless, with the vast majority saying they have had to apply new skills over the past year, two in five to a large or very large degree.
The survey identifies four groups within the global workforce: the "front-runners," "AI insurgents," "indispensables," and the "engine room." The front-runners, who combine scarce skills with strong AI capabilities, are reaping the spoils, over-indexing on being rewarded for challenging the status quo and for learning new skills. However, they are also halfway out the door, with almost a third saying they are very or extremely likely to change employer within the next year. This poses a bind for corporate leaders, who must think hard about where they invest in skills and how they hold on to the capabilities they most need.
Key points
- The survey reveals a widening gap between workers who have readily adopted AI and those left behind.
- Only 51 percent of workers now say they have access to the learning and development resources they need.
- The workers most valuable to the AI age are the most confident, the most in demand, and the most willing to walk.
