Only 1 in 4 Employees Feel Equipped for AI, Skillsoft Research Finds
Skillsoft, a leading AI-native skills management platform, has released its Workforce Readiness Report: AI Edition, and the findings paint a stark picture: while AI is now embedded in nearly every workplace, most employees are not prepared to use it effectively. Although 86% of employees surveyed use AI tools at work, only 24% feel fully equipped with the skills required to use them effectively and drive results.
The disconnect widens at the leadership level. Some 77% of leaders believe their organizations have set employees up for success — revealing a striking 53-point gap between how leadership perceives readiness and the reality employees experience day to day.
"Organizations cannot afford to confuse AI adoption with AI readiness. When leaders and employees are operating from fundamentally different views of preparedness, performance becomes inconsistent at best and untrustworthy at worst."
— Ciara Harrington, Chief People Officer, SkillsoftThree Structural Shortfalls Behind the Gap
Beyond the perception divide, the report identifies three structural weaknesses that help explain why readiness is lagging. First, skills visibility is nearly absent — only 11% of employees report receiving formal skills assessments, leaving organizations without a reliable picture of what their workforce can actually do.
Second, training tends to follow adoption rather than lead it: just 16% of employees receive training before new AI tools are introduced. Third, governance remains the exception — fewer than 1 in 10 employees say their organization has comprehensive AI governance in place, while 21% report receiving no AI guidance whatsoever.
"The organizations that pull ahead won't be the ones that adopted AI first. They'll be the ones that redesigned work and built a system to continuously develop the skills required to leverage AI in a way that drives purposeful business outcomes."
— Ciara Harrington, Chief People Officer, SkillsoftA Workforce Strategy Problem, Not a Tech Problem
Time and prioritization emerge as the biggest obstacles to building new skills, with 59% of employees citing lack of time as the primary barrier. Inconsistency compounds the issue: 31% say AI guidance varies by team or manager rather than reflecting a company-wide standard, and 20% remain cautious about or distrustful of AI tools.
AI is also reshaping expectations for entry-level work — 29% of employees expect it to reduce entry-level positions, while 36% anticipate a shift toward problem solving and collaboration. Skillsoft argues the fix is a Skills Supply Chain™: a connected system for identifying, building, and deploying skills where and when they are needed, moving from one-time training to continuous capability development.
Adoption isn't readiness. 86% of employees use AI at work, but only 24% feel fully equipped with the skills to use it effectively and drive results.
A 53-point perception gap. While 77% of leaders believe employees are set up for success, the reality on the ground tells a very different story.
Skills visibility is missing. Just 11% of employees receive formal skills assessments, leaving leaders to make workforce decisions on assumptions rather than data.
Training and governance lag. Only 16% are trained before AI rollouts, fewer than 1 in 10 have comprehensive AI governance, and 21% get no guidance at all.
The fix is a Skills Supply Chain. Skillsoft urges a connected system to continuously identify, build, and deploy skills — treating capability development as a business discipline.