AI Skills Gap 2026: Workforce Sentiment Survey Insights

About the Report

The 2026 Professional Sentiment Survey by Simplilearn explores how professionals worldwide are experiencing and responding to the acceleration of AI in the workplace. As AI continues to reshape roles, expectations, and career paths, this study moves beyond surface-level adoption to examine a more critical question: are professionals truly prepared for what comes next? This second edition of the Professional Sentiment Survey, part of Simplilearn’s flagship State of Upskilling Report, is built on a strong foundation of tracking global workforce and learning trends.

The survey gathered responses from professionals across geographies, industries, and experience levels, offering a broad view of workforce sentiment in 2026. It looks at how AI is used in day-to-day work, how confident professionals are in their skills, and how they approach upskilling for the future. The findings point to a workforce that is actively engaging with AI and largely optimistic, but where true readiness still lags behind adoption. This gap between usage and preparedness is at the heart of the report’s insights.