Workforce & Skills Policy

In 2026, workforce and skills policies have shifted from reactive training to strategic talent architecture. Organizations are now consolidating the volatility of previous years into permanent structures, where AI is embedded into core workflows and skills-first hiring is the default standard.

Strategic Workforce & Skills Policies

• Skills-First Hiring:Recruitment now prioritises demonstrable capabilities over traditional degrees. 81% of businesses still value practical experience, but the use of skills-based criteria is accelerating to close gaps more efficiently.
• Internal Talent Ecosystems:To combat talent scarcity, policies now focus on internal mobility—mapping existing employee skills to new roles instead of relying solely on expensive external hiring.
• AI Workforce Orchestration:Policies are evolving to manage a “blended workforce” where AI agents are integrated as team members. This includes agentic AI capable of executing complex workflows, which is beginning to displace some junior-level white-collar roles.
• Continuous Learning Models:Traditional annual training is being replaced by micro learning and real-time upskilling integrated into daily work.