London – September 29, 2026 -- Nearly a third of the most AI-capable employees say they are very or extremely likely to quit their employer within a year, even as access to learning and development resources for the broader workforce dropped 8 percentage points, according to PwC's 2026 Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey of nearly 50,000 workers across 48 countries.
AI use jumps 10 points while training access shrinks
Some 64% of workers report using AI at work in the past 12 months, up 10 points year on year, and daily Generative AI use rose from 14% to 22%. Yet only 51% say they have access to the learning and development resources they need, down from 59% last year.
56% of the workforce risks falling behind in the AI transition
PwC segments employees into four groups: front-runners (14%), AI insurgents (18%), indispensables (11%) and the 'engine room' (56%) -- workers whose skills are less scarce and who are furthest from the AI learning curve. Only two in five engine-room workers say they can access needed training, compared with a workforce average of 51%.
Daily AI users show sharply higher confidence and trust
Employees using AI daily report 68% confidence in job security versus 57% among infrequent users. They are also 15 points more likely to trust top management, 21 points more confident in their ability to learn new skills, and 12 points more likely to request a promotion.
Front-runners are 33 points more likely to seek promotions -- and to leave
The front-runner group over-indexes on rewards for challenging existing workflows (1.5x the global average) and learning new skills (1.2x). Despite this advantage, 29% say they are very or extremely likely to change employer within the next year, exposing a retention risk for the workers companies can least afford to lose.
Cost-of-living pressure compounds workplace anxiety
Only a third of workers report having money left at the end of the month, an 8-point decline year on year. Almost 29% say their bargaining power has fallen significantly compared with three years ago -- more than double the share who disagree -- rising a further 10 points among fully remote workers. When ranking job-security threats, 57% cite economic volatility versus 44% citing AI displacing tasks, with Gen Z workers reporting higher anxiety across all measures.
Change is accelerating faster at the top than on the front line
51% of senior executives and 46% of managers say they have applied new skills in their roles over the past year, compared with just 29% of non-managers and 38% of entry-level staff. Overall, 58% of workers who experienced workplace change say the pace has intensified versus prior years, and 27% report burnout limiting their productivity.
Pete Brown, PwC's Global Workforce Leader, said leaders face a widening split: workers using AI daily are more confident, more ambitious and more positive about their careers, but the challenge is developing that group without abandoning the rest of the workforce.