Discover how AI can supercharge your workforce, boost productivity, improve the employee experience, and foster continuous learning.
As artificial intelligence, generative AI, and, increasingly, AI agents become more integrated into daily operations, the optimization of the workforce becomes a critical imperative. The KPMG US Tech Report 2026 shows that organizations are rapidly adopting AI, but outcomes vary significantly based on governance, execution discipline, and organizational readiness - and that high-performing organizations distinguish themselves through coordinated, enterprise-wide AI programs rather than fragmented initiatives. In particular, an evolving regulatory environment, including shifting labor and immigration policies, as well as emerging AI regulations, directly impact workforce strategy. Leaders must consider not just how to leverage AI for productivity gains, but also how policy changes could affect workforce availability, skill requirements, and compliance obligations.
To unlock the full potential of AI, organizations must establish workforce structures that capture and realize AI's value. This involves analyzing workforce data to identify roles and skills where AI augmentation can have the highest impact and conducting opportunity assessments to project productivity gains. However, policy shifts such as curbs to immigration are making it increasingly difficult to find the right talent, intensifying the need for strategic workforce planning that addresses both human and digital roles. With limited job creation and an ultimately finite labor force, competitiveness now depends on a leader’s ability to adapt to these constraints by integrating AI, RPA, and other automation technologies into workforce planning. Further, as AI agents become integral tools, strategic workforce planning must be reimagined to include both human and digital workers, ensuring seamless interaction and collaboration. This shift changes the skill sets organizations require—demanding more highly skilled workers and fewer manual laborers—while also requiring compliance with new AI-related regulations and labor standards.
Currently, up to 79% of workers use automation technologies at least once a week, with 30% using them daily. To further increase adoption, organizations should focus on enhancing the employee experience and fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation. Providing targeted training that advances employees' skill levels will not only boost productivity but also enable career mobility as new roles emerge. Customized upskilling and tailored learning pathways for different professional roles can help bridge the talent gap and unlock AI's economic potential. Effective change management requires personalized adoption experiences that cater to the unique workflows and tasks of each individual, allowing organizations to achieve higher capacity, productivity, and growth as measurable outcomes of AI-driven optimization. At the same time, regulatory changes—such as new AI usage policies, labor market interventions, and reshoring efforts—demand that organizations take a holistic approach to workforce planning, balancing compliance with agility.
In short, leaders now face the challenge of designing resilient workforce strategies that are responsive to both technological advancements and the ever-changing policy landscape, ensuring their organizations remain both competitive and compliant.
Organizations face increasing pressures to enhance productivity, drive growth, and deliver lasting value. To achieve this, many are turning to AI for workforce optimization. By leveraging AI technologies, businesses unlock unparalleled efficiency, foster continuous improvement, and navigate workforce complexities with greater success.
AI agents are revolutionizing how organizations approach workforce planning and talent management. More than just digital assistants, AI agents can autonomously handle complex tasks, streamline operations, and offer predictive insights that enhance decision-making processes. Integrating AI agents into your workforce strategy means augmenting human roles with capabilities available 24/7/365, driving efficiency, and fostering innovation. AI agents not only perform routine tasks but also enable continuous operations and real-time responsiveness, making them an invaluable asset in achieving strategic workforce goals.
As AI agents mature, the shift from simply filling roles to securing skills becomes crucial. Organizations must systematically orchestrate work between human and digital labor, evolving talent strategies, upskilling programs, and performance measurement. This approach ensures that both human and digital workers can seamlessly collaborate, leveraging their combined strengths to enhance productivity and foster innovation. By leveraging external data to understand broader industry trends affecting talent availability, tenure, and demand for critical skills, companies can ensure they are always equipped with the right mix of human and digital talent. This approach leads to more accurate forecasting and strategic decision-making, allowing organizations to thrive in a rapidly changing environment.
AI-driven workforce optimization offers numerous benefits that significantly enhance business performance:
50% of workers believe automation improves their professional abilities[iv]
AI tools can boost workforce productivity by up to 40%[v]
By streamlining routine tasks, AI increases the time available for innovative activities by 50%[vi]
The percentage of employees concerned about job displacement has decreased from 59% to 28% in just one year.[vii]
These benefits don’t just improve individual processes, they create a ripple effect that enhances organizational efficiency, fosters innovation, and strengthens employee engagement and retention.
Successfully integrating AI and GenAI into your workforce requires a strategic approach. Here are key strategies to ensure a seamless transition that maximizes benefits:
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Begin Your Journey Towards Maximizing AI-Driven Workforce Innovation with KPMG
As organizations continue their AI journeys, KPMG LLP (KPMG) offers a human-centered solution to help address workforce challenges and futureproof operations. Our tailored approach helps ensure your workforce, operating model, and technological maturity are precisely aligned. From identifying AI-enablement opportunities to integrating digital workers and reshaping roles, we help you achieve sustainable success.e.
Our proprietary workforce insights model and agentic-AI tools enable organizations to implement advanced workforce planning strategies effectively. Customized AI agents harness robust datasets to provide actionable intelligence, helping companies conduct talent opportunity and deployment assessments and securing the right mix of digital and human skills to meet their strategic needs.
Enable your organization with KPMG AI Workforce >
Unlock AI Workforce Opportunities
Identify and capitalize on AI opportunities across the entire workforce, including human and digital labor. We help ensure your organization maximizes efficiency and productivity by maximizing the impact of AI.
Redesign Jobs and Roles with AI
Take a human-centered approach to redesigning jobs, roles, and occupations to help maximize the impact of AI. Our experts help reimagine your workforce structure, ensuring human and digital workers capitalize on each other's strengths for optimal performance.
Drive AI Engagement and Adoption
Activate change at all organizational levels, building awareness, understanding, and commitment to incorporating AI into daily work processes. We help create a culture that embraces AI, enhancing collaboration between human employees and AI agents.
Enhance AI Learning and Development
Deliver role-specific AI and Generative AI learning programs, continuously updated to equip your workforce with the latest skills and knowledge. Our tailored training helps ensure your employees stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
[i] American Worker Survey, KPMG LLP, 2024.
[ii] American Worker Survey, KPMG LLP, 2024.
[iii] American Worker Survey, KPMG LLP, 2024.
[iv] American Worker Survey, KPMG LLP, 2024.
[v] Press release: While only 2% are ready, most companies expect productivity gains of 10-40% with Enterprise AI: Infosys Research, Infosys, October 29, 2024.
[vi] Quantifying the GenAI Opportunity, KPMG, 2025.
[vii] American Worker Survey, KPMG LLP, 2024.
According to senior buyers of consulting services who participated in the Source study, Perceptions of Consulting in the US in 2024, KPMG ranked No. 1 for quality in AI advice and implementation services.
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The KPMG Human Capital Advisory team helps organizations implement advanced workforce planning strategies by leveraging our proprietary workforce insights model and AI tools. Teaming up with KPMG helps ensure that organizations can effectively conduct talent opportunity and deployment assessments, securing the right mix of digital and human skills to help meet current strategic needs and realize sustainable growth.
