Artificial intelligence, hybrid working, demographic shifts… The acceleration of change is placing many L&D functions under constant pressure. In this article, Gregory Gallic, Cegos expert, analyses the profound transformations shaping the world of work and their impact on L&D.

Major transformations at the heart of HR priorities

Artificial intelligence as a new strategic lens

Generative AI is transforming working methods and raising questions about the value of human contribution within organisations. 68% of HR decision-makers state that artificial intelligence and automation are already impacting employee skills development (source: Transformations, Skills and Learning, Cegos, 2026).

Faced with this major shift, Gregory Gallic, L&D Project Director at Cegos, encourages HR leaders to ask the right questions:
“For HR, the issue is not so much ‘Will AI replace people?’ but rather ‘How will it redistribute the value of work?’ This requires rethinking key skills, the balance between automation and human expertise, and above all supporting managers through this transition.”

However, focusing solely on AI should not overshadow the other transformations that L&D must address.

Cohesion challenged by hybrid work and freelancing

The widespread adoption of hybrid working and the growing use of freelancers are redefining the physical and legal boundaries of organisations. In this fragmented environment, maintaining a shared culture and consistent skill levels across contributors becomes increasingly complex.

On the one hand, physical distance deprives remote workers of informal learning opportunities, such as spontaneous discussions or simply observing colleagues. Without these interactions, employees lose access to a wealth of tacit knowledge. L&D functions must compensate for the loss of natural learning dynamics with solutions that often struggle to replicate real-life fluidity.

On the other hand, the rise of independent workers adds complexity to knowledge transfer. Freelancers bring valuable expertise but do not follow the same development pathways as employees. Yet aligning their ways of working with organisational practices is essential for project success.

These changes also raise concerns about knowledge retention. For example, when a freelancer leaves, critical expertise can disappear if no transfer process has been implemented. HR must play a key role in preserving organisational knowledge.

Evolving leadership and management models: a shift in mindset

Managers must now deal with increasing employee autonomy while ensuring alignment of collective actions. In this context, soft skills have become the primary lever of managerial influence. This shift requires long-term, personalised support, which is often costly and difficult to scale. It also clashes with budget constraints and managers’ limited availability.

At the same time, the pace of change requires constant organisational agility. This has led to the widespread adoption of project-based work, enabling rapid mobilisation of cross-functional expertise. Leadership is no longer limited to managers. It becomes a shared responsibility. Because these roles emerge within temporary projects, traditional annual planning of training needs become obsolete.

L&D must therefore foster a culture of continuous learning. The challenge is to provide on-demand resources that address real-time needs. Learning becomes embedded in daily workflows rather than a scheduled, one-off event.

Adapting career paths to demographic challenges

Rising retirement ages require organisations to maintain expert performance over longer careers. L&D must design second-career pathways that value experience while adapting roles to market changes.

Another challenge is identifying critical skills that may disappear with retirements. This includes not only technical expertise but also networks and personal knowledge. For example, in banking, client relationships often rely on undocumented history that may vanish when a senior advisor leaves. Capturing this knowledge in a fast-paced environment is a major challenge for L&D teams.

At the same time, attracting and retaining young talent remains difficult across many sectors. In addition, entry-level tasks traditionally used for learning are increasingly automated by AI. This raises a fundamental question: how do you build a talent pipeline when early learning stages disappear? L&D must rethink onboarding pathways and accelerate access to more complex responsibilities.

Towards a new skills-based operating model

These technological, social and demographic transformations share a common impact: they redefine the role of L&D. The solution lies in moving from job-based management to a more fluid, skills-based approach.

Prioritising internal talent development

To address these changes, 57% of HR directors prioritise internal mobility and 65% focus on upskilling employees in their current roles (source: Transformations, Skills and Learning, Cegos, 2026). Recruitment has significantly declined over the past two years.

Gregory Gallic emphasises: “Companies seem to have learned from previous waves of transformation. A sustainable solution lies in continuously developing internal skills, with a focus on anticipation and mobility. The strategic lever is to engage everyone in lifelong learning, identifying and developing talent over time.”

The rise of the skills-based organisation

The “skills-based” model is gaining momentum. It shifts from managing static elements such as job titles and qualifications to managing dynamic, deployable skills. This allows for more flexible and relevant resource allocation in the face of uncertainty.

AI could further accelerate this trend by helping L&D maintain up-to-date skills inventories, a task that has historically been extremely complex.

However, Gregory Gallic highlights its limitations: “The reality remains uneven. Skills-based management is often present in intentions, but less so in concrete processes such as mobility, recognition or career management.”

Legal frameworks and cultural barriers also slow adoption. Moving to a skills-based model requires employees to move away from the perceived security of job titles towards a more fluid professional identity.

Indeed, the skills-based organisation faces current legal frameworks that remain strongly attached to job roles and job descriptions. There is also a cultural barrier: shifting to a skills-based model requires employees to move away from the apparent security of a title and embrace a more fluid professional identity.

Reducing time to competency

In a fast-moving world, responsiveness becomes the primary quality criterion for L&D functions. It is not just about learning quickly, but about learning at the right time and applying it immediately.

While organisations recognise the importance of responding quickly to business needs, 41% of employees feel that training arrives too late, sometimes weeks or even months after the need is expressed (source: Transformations, Skills and Learning, Cegos, 2026). This delay negatively impacts performance and can lead to frustration.

Yet this frustration can also be a powerful motivator. When employees face a challenge, their receptiveness to learning is at its peak. The key is to develop a range of learning resources that are readily available and directly integrated into employees’ workflows.

The search for meaning as a compass

Rapid and continuous change is strengthening employees’ search for meaning. They no longer seek only salary or status. They expect their work to contribute to a broader purpose, whether social, environmental or customer-related.

Similarly, learning must be seen as a way to align personal values with organisational strategy. When employees understand why they are learning and how they contribute, they become more proactive. Learning is no longer just about task execution, but about becoming an active and responsible contributor to organisational transformation.

More than ever, the acceleration of technological, societal and demographic change requires L&D functions to position themselves as strategic partners to business leaders. They must anticipate future needs while responding to present challenges. This requires building a learning ecosystem embedded in the flow of work, capable of delivering fast and relevant responses to employee needs.

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