What Talent Acquisition Will Really Demand in 2026
December 17, 2025 – Talent acquisition looks nothing like it did a couple of years ago. A new Korn Ferry report says AI is the headline—84 percent of talent leaders plan to use it next year—but it’s only one piece of the 2026 puzzle. The bigger challenge is connecting AI, skills, leadership pipelines, and workplace policies into a strategy that actually works.
The talent acquisition (TA) space looks nothing like it did even a couple of years ago. AI is the big story—84 percent of talent leaders plan to use it next year—but that’s just one piece of the 2026 TA puzzle, according to Korn Ferry 2026 Talent Trends Report. “We need to embrace AI but not lose sight of the bigger picture,” said Jeanne MacDonald, Korn Ferry’s CEO of Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO). Talent acquisition is about people—and human intelligence will always be the differentiator.”
The other challenges facing TA leaders are just as important, according to the Korn Ferry report. “Leadership pipelines are fragile, skills priorities need realigning, and workplace policies are creating friction,” it said. “It’s a lot to navigate. And while everyone’s focused on which AI tools to buy, the more interesting question is how to make all these pieces fit together.”
The study points to AI agents, as an example. Companies are rushing to add them to teams, but most leaders have no idea how to manage mixed human-AI workforces. And consider skills. “CEOs are hard focused on AI tech expertise, but talent leaders know critical thinking is what’s needed to deliver successful change,” the Korn Ferry report said. “TA sits at the center of all these shifts. And talent leaders who see the bigger picture are becoming indispensable to their organizations.”
Korn Ferry offers six TA trends driving talent acquisition in 2026.
Trend 1: Your Next Hire Might Not Be Human.
In 2026, the Korn Ferry report said that you’ll be sourcing talent that never sleeps, never takes vacation—but will sometimes frustratingly refuse to work properly. Unlike the AI tools we’re all familiar with, these “AI agents” act pretty much autonomously, performing tasks and functions without the need for constant prompts. And 52 percent of talent leaders are planning to add them to their teams in 2026.
“AI agents are evolving beyond being helpful assistants,” the Korn Ferry report found. “They’re becoming real teammates with their own identities, access permissions, and responsibilities. Teams of the future will soon include both humans and AI agents working side by side.”
“This isn’t some distant future scenario,” said Bryan Ackermann, head of AI strategy & transformation, managing partner, assessment & succession, leadership & professional development. “HR vendors are already creating employee records for AI agents. Microsoft is issuing them security IDs. The infrastructure for human-AI teams is being built right now.”
Trend 2: Think First, ChatGPT Later.
CEOs and board directors are laser-focused on AI and they’re demanding AI skills, AI certifications, AI proficiency, AI everything, according to the Korn Ferry report. Conversely, 73 percent of TA leaders say the skill they actually need the most in 2026 is…critical thinking and problem-solving. What about AI skills? That ranks fifth.
So who’s right? Korn Ferry noted both. “TA leaders bring a different perspective,” the study said. “Being closer to the ground, they understand that to deploy AI effectively, you need the ability to think critically about what it produces and how best to deliver it.”
“Critical thinking skills are vital to work with AI successfully,” said Scott Erker, senior client partner with Korn Ferry. “I can’t see somebody being great at AI without having exceptional critical thinking skills. You need critical thinking to understand what’s a hallucination versus real data.”
Trend 3: Entry Level Cuts Today = Pipeline Crisis Tomorrow.
It’s the easiest sell in the boardroom. Replace entry-level roles with AI, cut payroll by millions, boost efficiency overnight, according to the Korn Ferry report. Those entry-level and operation/back-office roles you’re eliminating? The report explained that is where your future managers and leaders come from.
Related: Executive Hiring Tightens Now, Sets Stage for Selective Rebound in 2026
“The beginner analyst who spends two years learning your business becomes a junior manager,” the Korn Ferry report said. “The coordinator who understands every process becomes your team leader. The mid-level manager who develops strategies while developing people steps up to VP. Cut those roles, and your big win today is a big problem tomorrow.”
“It would be a mistake to stop hiring young, entry-level people,” said David Ellis, senior vice president, talent transformation at Korn Ferry. “These are the fastest adopters of new technology,”
Trend 4: Buying Without Getting Buy-In.
CEOs and boards are pouring billions into AI, the Korn Ferry report found. “The ROI is unclear, the timeline ambitious, but they’re spending fast because the alternative—being left behind—feels worse,” it said. “While leadership is uncertain about financial returns, TA leaders are just as skeptical about their C-suite’s readiness to lead through this dramatic change. The technology is here. The tools are deployed. But your people? They’re confused.”
It turns out that 2026 demands a new approach—an AI-ready leader. Organizations need someone who can lead through this dramatic shift, the Korn Ferry report explained. They study found that they need leaders who can strategize the best approach, develop a road map, and bring their people with them on the journey. The tech might have appeared only yesterday, but leading through change isn’t a capability you develop overnight.
Only 22 percent of respondents to Korn Ferry’s TA Trends survey believe their leaders can effectively manage teams that combine humans and AI agents. Yet that’s exactly what many organizations need to succeed in 2026.
“It’s not just about technical literacy,” said Mr. Ackermann. “The bigger challenge is communicating authentically about changes that even leaders don’t fully understand. Remember what we went through in 2020? During the early days of Covid, great leaders went to their employees and asked them very simple, but important, questions.”
“They asked, are you okay? Are you safe? Are you healthy? It was a level of transparent authenticity we hadn’t seen in a while. And then we lost it again.”
“Today with AI, that authentic communication has disappeared,” the Korn Ferry report said. “Instead of honest conversations about uncertainty and change, employees are left to piece together their company’s AI strategy.”
Trend 5: It’s Time TA Got a Bigger Seat at the Table.
The good news—most talent leaders now have more influence with the company’s leadership. The bad news? While it’s true that 83 percent say they have some pull with the C-suite, 59 percent still feel shut out of the strategic business decisions.
Related: Five Shifts That Influenced CEO Leadership in 2025
“TA is stuck in this weird middle ground,” the Korn Ferry report said. “They’re more influential than before, but still treated like the people who just fill jobs. Surprisingly, AI might help make the difference. In the C-suite and boardroom, the spotlight is on AI. This is an area that TA has already been leading in, adopting it earlier than almost any other part of HR. And now, the pace is snowballing.”
“We’ve seen that a large percentage of people don’t understand their company’s stance on AI,” Mr. Ackermann added. “That information is mostly hidden in an AI security policy on page 62, paragraph 4b—and they know very little until the CEO announces layoffs.”
Workforce Trends 2026: Leaders Confront Burnout, Disengagement, and AI-Driven Change
With 2026 approaching, organizations are confronting a tougher people landscape marked by sagging engagement, stubborn burnout, and nonstop disruption from AI and new work models. DHR Global’s second annual Workforce Trends Report captures how leaders worldwide are responding to these pressures and what’s starting to work. The findings point to culture, flexibility, and clear direction on AI as the practical levers for steadying retention and resilience in the year ahead.
TA leaders using AI are more likely to have C-suite influence (85 percent) than those who aren’t (70 percent). “It makes sense when you think about it,” the Korn Ferry report continued. “As organizations bet billions on AI transformation, they need advisors who actually understand what works for their people and what doesn’t—and that’s exactly what TA leaders will become. TA’s AI experience and ability to successfully blend AI and human might be the bridge from influence to strategic input they’ve been looking for.”
Trend 6: Office Mandates = Major TA Headache.
Companies are pushing people back to the office—20 percent now require full-time attendance. But workers are pushing back. Nearly three-quarters of employees want a hybrid or remote work option, according to Korn Ferry’s Workforce 2025 survey. And many won’t budge.
“The disconnect is massive, leaving TA leaders stuck between a rock and a hard place,” Korn Kerry explained. “Those recruiting for companies who insist on full-time in-office are struggling to find the right hires. The flipside? Companies offering fully remote get their pick of the crop. Companies demanding full in-office attendance are essentially choosing to shrink their options. Maybe the lure of working for a major brand name or the offer of a more enticing rewards package can tip the scales. But for the most part, the best people are going where the flexibility is.”
“If your employee value proposition (EVP) is strong enough, if you’re the biggest name brand company, for example, then you might be able to impose your workplace demands,” said Mr. Ellis. “But for most organizations, you need to match your office policies with what the talent you want expects.”
Looking Ahead
“TA leaders have never been more needed or better positioned for strategic influence,” the Korn Ferry report concluded. You’ve been quietly implementing AI while your executives were still getting to grips with it. You know which skills actually matter. You see workforce challenges before they hit the boardroom.”
“Stop waiting for someone to invite you to strategic conversations,” the report continued. “Start them yourself. Show leadership what’s really happening with talent. Make the case for policies that actually work. Use your experience to guide decisions that shape organizational success. This moment won’t last forever. The TA leaders who seize these recruitment trends will succeed where rivals fail.”
Related: CHRO Perspectives: Looking Ahead to 2026
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
