Future @ Work 2026 – Executive Summary

The Lewis Silkin Future @ Work 2026 report examines how organisations are navigating an era defined by accelerating uncertainty.

Rapid advances in AI, geopolitical instability, regulatory fragmentation, demographic shifts and changing workforce expectations are reshaping today's business environment. Change is now constant, and increasingly unpredictable and complex. Our key finding is that, while many organisations express confidence in their ability to manage disruption in the short term, the future of work will require businesses to take strategic action now to build long-term organisational and workforce resilience and preparedness.

Our survey data shows that, for most employers, HR and workforce planning horizons rarely extend further than 12 months. Longer-term planning is constrained by a range of immediate pressures, both inside and outside of the organisation. Regulatory change, geopolitical uncertainty and economic pressures sit alongside day-to-day