Mercer | Global Talent Trends 2026
January 26, 2026
The talent and workforce trends shaping the future of work
Why AI alone won’t deliver – and what leaders must do now
Launching February 2026 – Pre-register for early access
As organizations enter 2026, rapid change continues. Advances in AI, talent scarcity, and growing employee pressure are reshaping work and challenging leaders to rethink people strategies.
Global Talent Trends 2026 shows how organizations can drive sustainable performance by redesigning work, rethinking the employee value exchange, and building capabilities for an AI-enabled future.
Global Talent Trends 2026 shows how organizations can drive sustainable performance by redesigning work, rethinking the employee value exchange, and building capabilities for an AI-enabled future.
Based on insights from nearly 12,000 executives, HR leaders, employees, and investors worldwide, the report highlights four key talent trends and workforce strategies for 2026 and beyond.
What’s inside the 2026 report
- Reinvent for a human advantage:
AI is not enough. Organizations must redesign work around human-centric principles, fostering cultures of dynamic human-machine collaboration and continuous upskilling and reskilling of talent. - Recalibrate the value exchange:
To drive growth and compete for scarce talent, the employer-employee relationship must be redefined – ensuring a clear return on investment for both the organization and its people. - Leap forward with insight:
In a volatile environment, talent foresight becomes a critical risk mitigation strategy. Workforce insights enable leaders to plan with confidence, adapt faster, and pivot at pace. - Unleash a new HR Era:
Incremental change is no longer sufficient. It’s now or never for HR reinvention — shifting from traditional models to an outcomes-focused function that enables transformation at scale.
Pre-register today to receive the report on release and stay ahead of the talent trends redefining performance.