Highlights:TA Trends 2026Human-AI Power Couple

Your Next Hire Might Not Be Human

The dawn of hybrid people + agentic AI teams.

In 2026, talent leaders will start recruiting a new type of colleague—autonomous AI agents.

More than half of talent leaders are planning to add autonomous AI agents to their teams in 2026.

These aren't the chatbots you’re used to. AI agents are working independently, making decisions, and completing tasks without constant human prompting.

That’s why companies are already building digital identities for AI agents, with their own profiles, permissions, and responsibilities.

This brings a new challenge for TA leaders. You're no longer just matching human skills to roles. Now you're deciding whether to hire a $100,000 human or deploy a $20,000 AI agent for the same function.

The tricky part isn't the technology. It's figuring out how humans and AI will work together. How do you onboard digital teammates? How do managers coordinate tasks between humans and machines? Who trains and monitors the agent? And who takes responsibility when the agent gets something wrong, the human or the bot?

It's uncharted territory, and the organizations that figure it out first will have a massive head start.

Think First, ChatGPT Later

Most people can learn AI in less than a month. Developing critical thinking? That takes years.

Boardrooms are buzzing about AI skills. CEOs and directors want AI certifications, AI training, AI everything. They rank AI as the number one most-wanted skill for the next three years.

Conversely, nearly three-quarters of talent acquisition leaders say the skills they need most in 2026 are critical thinking and problem-solving.

73% of TA leaders rank critical thinking as their #1 recruiting priority, while AI skills rank 5th.

Here’s the thing—anyone can learn to use ChatGPT in a few weeks. But knowing when it's giving you unreliable information? Spotting the difference between helpful insights and convincing but flawed output? That requires critical thinking, and those same skills make you infinitely better at using AI effectively.

The best AI users aren't the ones who can memorize every prompt technique or who understand the codes behind the chats. They're the people who can evaluate AI output and ask, "Does this actually make sense?"

They catch errors, question recommendations, and know when human judgment beats machine logic.

While everyone else chases the latest AI certification, forward-looking TA leaders are hiring people who can think critically about whatever technology comes next.

Entry-Level Cuts Today = Pipeline Crisis Tomorrow

Your board loves the cost savings today. They'll hate the leadership crisis it brings on its tail.

It's the easiest sell in the boardroom.

Replace entry-level positions with AI, slash payroll costs, and tell shareholders you're leading the AI revolution.

43% of companies plan to replace roles with AI—operation/back-office staff (58%) and entry-level positions (37%) are the top targets.

But here’s the thing nobody’s saying in those cost-cutting moves. Where do you think your managers came from?

Most didn’t start in corner offices. They began by filing papers, running reports, coordinating meetings...they did the routine stuff that taught them how the company actually works.

Eliminate those roles today, and in a few years, you'll be scrambling to hire managers from the outside. They'll be expensive, won't understand your company, and will need months (or more) to figure out basics that your homegrown talent already knows.

Your cost saving today is rapidly becoming your talent crisis tomorrow.

Buying Without Getting Buy-In

Turns out, splashing cash on the tech was the easy part.

Boardrooms are approving massive AI budgets. Companies are buying tools, hiring consultants, and announcing transformation initiatives left, right, and center.

But talent leaders are watching all this spending with serious doubts about whether their executives can turn this big spend into a big win.

Only 11% say their leaders are well prepared to navigate the AI transition.

That's a huge gap between investment and confidence.

So, what's really happening on the ground?

Employees are trying to figure out their company's AI strategy from random policy documents buried in some handbook. Managers are trying to implement tools they've never been trained on. Everyone's winging it.

All that spending on cutting-edge AI won't matter if leaders can't guide their organizations through the change.

So here's the opportunity. While competitors struggle with leadership gaps, the companies that develop AI-ready leaders alongside their technology will capture the competitive advantage everyone else is missing.

It's Time TA Got a Bigger Seat at the Table

TA has moved beyond operational—and deserves real strategic power.

Talent leaders are in an odd spot. They've gained influence with executives, but most are still sitting on the sidelines when strategic business decisions get made.

83% of TA leaders have C-suite influence, but 59% still feel excluded from strategic business decisions.

They have more clout than before, but they’re still treated as the people who just fill jobs.

However, AI might be changing that dynamic.

TA has been ahead of the curve on AI adoption, implementing tools earlier than the rest of HR and most other parts of the business.

The good news for those early adopters? TA leaders who are using AI are more likely to have real C-suite influence (85%) compared to those who aren't (70%). And in boardrooms focused on AI transformation, that early experience is becoming incredibly valuable.

When executives need practical advice about how AI affects hiring, team building, and workforce planning, they're turning to the people who've already been using it.

TA will no longer be seen as only about filling open positions. Your AI expertise puts you in the perfect spot to guide leadership through one of the biggest changes their organizations will face.

Office Mandates = Major TA Headache

Top talent wants hybrid or remote. Yet more companies are demanding full-time in-office. It's not making hiring any easier.

The battle lines are drawn. Companies are demanding people return to the office full-time while workers are digging in their heels, insisting they want remote or hybrid work options.

Guess who's stuck in the middle of this standoff? You.

As a TA leader, you’re tasked with trying to convince the best candidates to accept rigid in-office policies while your competitors scoop them up with their hybrid or fully remote offerings.

The data is crystal clear—more than half of TA leaders say office mandates make recruiting harder.

And on the flipside? When recruiting for fully remote roles, most say they’re a breeze to fill.

Your best candidates are going where the flexibility is.

52% of TA leaders say office mandates hinder recruitment, while 72% find remote roles easier to fill.

Business leaders might think this is fine right now, but in roles with chronic skills shortages, it'll rapidly be clear that it’s not fine at all.

If your employer brand isn’t strong enough to overcome the office requirement, you’ll end up paying premium salaries to attract people who would otherwise work elsewhere. Or worse, you’ll just be filling seats—settling for whoever is willing to show up, not the talent who will move your business forward.

While you explain commute requirements, more flexible competitors are closing deals. The advantage goes to organizations that match their workplace policies to what candidates actually want.