i4cp Releases 2026 Priorities & Predictions

Drawing on insights from i4cp's global network of Chief HR Officers, Chief Learning & Talent Officers, Total Rewards leaders, Talent Acquisition executives, People Analytics heads, Impact & Belonging leaders, and its Future of Work board members, this year's study captures a pivotal moment for enterprises: AI is no longer a tool—it is becoming a structural force fundamentally redefining work.

Among dozens of findings, i4cp highlights four industry-shaping predictions for 2026:

1. Companies increasingly use AI-driven layoffs as a strategic lever.
   The report notes a sharp rise in enterprise workforce reductions tied loosely—and increasingly explicitly—to AI adoption, even as S&P 500 performance climbs.
   
   
2. Skills become the operating system of work.
   Organizations are rapidly shifting from role-based structures to fluid, skills-based workforce models, yet only 12% are mature in this shift today.
   
   
3. "Digital work twins" move from experimentation to practice.
   AI agents that learn an individual's workflows, communication style, and decision patterns will become more mainstream and will be productivity multipliers.
   
   
4. Workforce design becomes fluid, modular, and adaptive.
   Work is increasingly assembled dynamically from human and digital contributors, reshaping org structures, internal mobility, and leadership expectations.

"The architecture of work itself is being rewritten," said Kevin Oakes, i4cp's founder and author of Culture Renovation^®. "Whenever a disruptive technology enters the mainstream, there's immense pressure to act quickly, often amplified by investor expectations, media narratives, and competitive anxiety. As a result, businesses tend to centralize expertise before dispersing it, and rush to adopt new tools. Effective leadership during these periods isn't about keeping up with the hype; it's about creating a future-ready organization that focuses on culture, mindset, and experimentation. The winners in the AI era will be those who build the organizational muscle to learn faster and apply those lessons more wisely than their competitors."

As in past years, the report is heavily influenced by i4cp's Executive Boards, invitation-only groups of human capital leaders, and provides function-specific priorities including:

• 68% of CHROs identifying AI-related workforce initiatives as their top priority.
  
  
• 59% of Chief Learning & Talent Officers prioritizing enterprise-wide upskilling.
  
  
• 80% of Future of Work leaders focused on redesigning work for AI.
  
  
• 65% of Talent Acquisition leaders implementing AI technologies in hiring.

"Priorities & Predictions is a cornerstone for HR and business leaders preparing for the future of work," said Terry Waters, CEO of i4cp. "This year's report is our most future-focused yet, thanks to the insights, experimentation, and candor of our member organizations around the world."

The full report is available as a complimentary download for the global HR and business community.

i4cp also invites HR executives to join its Next Practices Weekly community—an ongoing forum featuring real-world case studies, innovative applications of AI, and peer-to-peer discussion. HR Professionals interested in joining may register here.

About i4cp

i4cp is the leading global research and advisory firm dedicated to helping organizations build high-performance organizations. Through its trusted human capital research, next-practices insights, and an unparalleled HR executive community, i4cp equips leaders with the frameworks, data, and tools needed to navigate the future of work.

SOURCE i4cp