Open this photo in gallery:
SENRYU/iStockPhoto / Getty Images
This is the weekly Work Life newsletter. If you are interested in more careers-related content, sign up to receive it in your inbox.
Artificial intelligence is supposed to make our working lives easier, but as machines take over more routine tasks, the work left for humans may actually be getting harder.
That’s one of the key findings from Accenture’s Future of Work Trends 2026 report, which suggests the next phase of AI adoption will be less about what technology can do and more about how organizations redesign work around it.
Drawing on global surveys, interviews with executives and workers and labour-market analysis, the report identifies five trends shaping the future of work.
The first is a fundamental shift in how organizations value work. Companies need to determine where human expertise creates the greatest value and how to reinvest the time saved through automation.
While 60 per cent of executives plan to redirect newly freed-up capacity toward higher value or more strategic work, one in five organizations already making extensive use of the technology report that the time saved hasn’t resulted in anything fundamentally new.
The second trend focuses on how jobs and skills are evolving. Accenture found that, in more than 60 per cent of the occupations studied, working alongside AI increases ambiguity, interpersonal complexity and the number of judgment calls employees must make.
The tricky part? Opportunities to develop those higher-order skills may be disappearing, with one in five workers and managers interviewed expressing concern that junior employees are missing out on the hands-on practice and trial-and-error experiences that traditionally help people build expertise.
The third trend highlights the growing importance of employee experience. As AI reshapes roles and expectations, workers increasingly need clarity about where they fit and how they can advance.
Unfortunately, just 21 per cent of employees strongly agree they have clear pathways to grow or transition as AI changes their work. Meanwhile, only 20 per cent strongly agree they’re actively involved in shaping how AI affects their jobs.
The report suggests organizations must prioritize career development, employee involvement and human connection alongside technological adoption.
The fourth trend is about decision-making. As AI becomes capable of handling more complex workflows, the competitive advantage will increasingly come from how organizations make decisions, rather than how quickly they complete tasks.
That means establishing clear accountability, knowing when human judgment is required and learning from previous decisions to improve future outcomes.
Finally, the fifth trend focuses on leadership in an increasingly uncertain workplace. With AI making information and recommendations readily available, effective leadership will depend less on having all the answers and more on knowing which questions to ask, when to challenge technology and how to guide people through change.
Accenture identifies four qualities that will become increasingly important for leaders: curiosity, courage, connection and the ability to balance competing demands.
Next week, I’ll share insights from Karen Forward, a talent reinvention partner at Accenture, on why AI is making human work more complex, how workers can continue building the skills and experience they need to advance their careers and why employers must rethink how they develop talent and involve employees in shaping the future of work.
Fast fact
Skill scope
46 per cent
That’s the share of employers who introduced AI skill requirements for traditionally non-technical roles, such as marketing, HR and operations, but never formally communicated the changes to employees.
Career guidance
AI anxiety
Does using AI more often make employees feel more secure about their jobs? Not necessarily. New research from Gallup finds that workers who use AI frequently are more than twice as likely to worry about losing their jobs to the technology within five years than those who use it less often.
However, supportive managers can help ease those fears. Gallup recommends having one-on-one conversations about how AI is changing employees’ responsibilities, which skills will remain valuable and how performance will be evaluated. Clearly communicating the purpose of AI adoption and demonstrating that employees are valued can help workers feel more confident about their futures.
Quoted
Career comebacks
“There’s the fear of the musical chairs problem, which is really acute in our culture,” says Sabra Meretab, who was chief of staff of Stripe’s payments engineering division when she quit to travel and write a memoir in 2024. “It’s a really legitimate concern that, if I leave, what are the odds that there is still a chair for me when I return?”
This article in The Wall Street Journal shares insights from people who have overcome their fears and walked away from their jobs – all while keeping the door open to returning if and when the time is right.
On our radar
AI advantage
Canada has an opportunity to become a global leader in artificial intelligence, but success will require more than technological innovation. In an opinion piece for The Globe and Mail, BMO Financial Group chief executive Darryl White argues that strong safeguards and public trust could become a competitive advantage, helping Canada stand out in the global AI race.
Read more