Global Human Capital Trends 2026: From tensions to tipping points (Deloitte)

Summary

• 7 in 10 business leaders say their primary competitive strategy over the next three years is to be fast and nimble.p.4
• Most organizations (59%) are taking a tech-focused approach to AI, according to research with 100 C-suite leaders.p.5
• Nearly 60% of workers now use AI intentionally at work, yet only 14% of leaders say they are adept at shaping human-machine interactions.p.10
• Sixty-six percent acknowledge that intentional design of human-AI interaction is important, yet only 6% say they are leading in this area.p.11
• Redesigning human-AI interactions at a European telecom unlocked a 30% productivity increase, versus a small 5% lift from adding AI without changing roles.p.11
• Only 5% of organizations are making great progress in addressing the decline in trustworthiness of workforce data, although 61% recognize its importance.p.19
• 95% of executives are concerned about the accuracy of the data gathered on candidates' skills and capabilities.p.20

Key insights

1. Organizations leading on intentional design of human-AI interaction are nearly 2.5 times more likely to report better financial results.p.11
2. Organizations are twice as likely to exceed their ROI expectations for AI when they prioritize work design.p.11
3. At Save the Children, complex task application rose from 10% to 45% as AI fluency and adoption increased.p.13
4. More than half of new web articles were generated primarily by AI as of May 2025, up from just 5% before ChatGPT.p.18
5. Forty-one percent of workers say they have used AI to automate part of their job, often without employer awareness.p.20
6. 80% of executives are concerned that workers are using AI to appear more productive than they are.p.20
7. Leaders face three tipping points: from cost efficiency to value creation, from human + machine to human x machine, and the shift in how culture and work adapt.p.6