What happened
PwC's 2026 Hopes and Fears survey, covering 49,364 workers across 48 countries and regions and 29 sectors (fielded May–June 2026, published September 29, 2026), finds 'nearly two in three workers (64%) report using AI at work in the past 12 months — a ten-point increase year-on-year,' with daily generative-AI use rising from 14% to 22%. Its headline finding is a widening, two-speed workforce: 'front-runners' (about 14% of workers) with in-demand skills and strong AI benefits versus the 'engine room' (about 56%) who lack comparable AI access and learning opportunities. PwC warns companies risk losing their most AI-savvy employees while leaving the majority of the workforce behind, framing the gap as a productivity and retention risk rather than a technology problem.
Why it matters
This is the flagship board-grade workforce statistic for the year: it quantifies the AI benefits divide inside organizations, informing retention, upskilling, and change-management decisions at C-suite level.
Action needed
Benchmark your workforce's AI access and learning-and-development distribution against the front-runner/engine-room split; close the access gap before it becomes a retention gap.