Everyone but me: What UK employees told us about AI and skills

New research from 2,000+ employees reveals what's changing, what skills matter, and how prepared the workforce really is. AI is reshaping the way we work but what do employees actually think about it?

In research conducted by Censuswide and Seven, we surveyed over 2,000 UK workers across five high-growth sectors, healthcare and life sciences, technology and digital, energy and sustainability, engineering, and manufacturing and infrastructure to find out.

The findings might surprise you:

  • 85% of employees want further AI-related training in the next two years
  • Many workers are open to new roles as their industries evolve
  • Yet a significant gap remains between AI adoption and workforce readiness

Download the full report to explore what's driving change, which skills are in demand, and what organisations need to do next.





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85% are interested in formal education or training in the next two years.
48% feel that younger colleagues pick up new technologies faster than they do
59% see a significant skills gap in their industry.

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Censuswide and Seven

Censuswide

The research in this report was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 2,000 UK General Employees (Including business owners) (Excluding sole traders). The data was collected between 04.09.2026 - 15.09.2026. Censuswide is a member of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the British Polling Council (BPC), and a signatory of the Global Data Quality Pledge. We adhere to the MRS Code of Conduct and ESOMAR principles.

Seven Consultancy

Seven Consultancy partners with scale-ups, global businesses and public sector organisations to build reputations and drive growth through purposeful communications. As specialists in tech and innovation, Seven supports in-house communications and marketing teams with strategy, planning and execution. For this report, Seven worked with ImperiaLifelong Learning to conduct qualitative interviews, shape the narrative and communicate findings on AI, skills and the future of work.