Organizations are accelerating investments in artificial intelligence, yet leadership readiness remains a significant barrier to realizing value from these technologies. New research from ManpowerGroup Talent Solutions reveals that only 3% of organizations report their leaders are highly prepared to manage AI-enabled ways of working. This gap in leadership capability occurs alongside widespread workforce anxiety, with 78% of organizations reporting employee concern about how AI will affect their jobs.

The report, titled "The New Talent Equation: Activating Workforce Confidence at Scale," was developed in collaboration with Everest Group. It draws on a survey of 80 C-suite, CHRO, and senior talent acquisition leaders across the United States and United Kingdom. The findings indicate that technology adoption is no longer the primary challenge; instead, the human side of transformation—specifically workforce confidence, leadership capability, and employee trust—determines which organizations successfully leverage AI.

Workforce Readiness Lags Behind Adoption

The research highlights a disconnect between the deployment of AI and the preparation of the workforce to use it effectively. Only 17% of organizations report advanced or transformational workforce readiness, where AI capability is deeply embedded into workflows and linked to measurable business outcomes. Nearly half of the organizations surveyed describe their leaders as only moderately prepared to guide teams through AI-driven changes.

Trust and Reskilling as Key Priorities

Employee trust is emerging as a critical factor in AI adoption. The study found that 63% of organizations report workforce resistance to adopting AI tools after deployment. Despite fears of job displacement, organizations are largely focusing on reskilling rather than reducing headcount. Nearly 63% identify reskilling and redeployment as the most common outcome for employees whose roles are significantly impacted by AI. Additionally, 86% rank AI-focused upskilling and reskilling among their top workforce priorities over the next 12 to 18 months.

Productivity Gains Through Collaboration

The report suggests that the greatest productivity gains are achieved when AI augments human work rather than fully automating it. Thirty-four percent of organizations report their greatest productivity improvements in AI-augmented roles, where people and AI collaborate through redesigned workflows. In contrast, only 8% report their strongest gains from fully automated roles. The findings emphasize that the next phase of AI transformation will be defined by how effectively organizations prepare people to work alongside AI technologies.

Analysts from BMO Capital and Barclays have updated their outlooks on ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN), raising price targets significantly while maintaining their respective ratings. The revisions reflect a revised assessment of the stock's valuation potential and market position.

BMO Capital analyst Jeffrey Silber maintained an Outperform rating and increased the price target to $63 from the previous target of $49. Barclays analyst Manav Patnaik maintained an Equal-Weight rating, raising the price target to $47 from $30.

The following table summarizes the updated analyst ratings:

ManpowerGroup continues to trade on the NYSE under the ticker symbol MAN.