U.S. Firms Hire Externally for AI Roles Despite Reskilling Belief
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WILMINGTON – – November 04, 2026 -- Some 51% of U.S. HR professionals say their organizations are hiring externally for new AI-related positions, while 42% report redeploying existing staff, even though 92% of HR respondents believe their employees could be reskilled for those roles, according to a Careerminds white paper.
The study, The AI Redeployment Gap: What Companies Lose by Hiring over Reskilling, was conducted with Censuswide. It surveyed 1,142 U.S. HR professionals (595) and people managers (547) at organizations with 500 or more employees. Fieldwork ran May 15–26, 2026.
Managers Show the Same Gap Between Belief and Hiring Practice
Among people managers, 88% say staff could be reskilled for AI roles. Yet 47% report external hiring for these positions, against 42% who report redeployment.