Workera has released its 2026 AI Skills Enterprise Benchmark Report, revealing significant enterprise skills gaps in emerging AI capabilities, particularly Agentic AI. Based on more than 88,000 assessments conducted across leading global enterprises and the U.S. federal government, the report found that only 13% of employees are considered Accomplished in Agentic AI skills before receiving targeted upskilling.
The findings highlight growing pressure on organizations to strengthen workforce AI readiness as enterprises accelerate AI adoption and operational transformation initiatives.
Workera said the report demonstrates a widening gap between enterprise AI adoption ambitions and workforce readiness levels, particularly in advanced AI disciplines.
The company evaluated enterprise skills across 14 AI and data-related capabilities using Elo, its AI-native multimodal skills assessment platform. According to the report, organizations performed strongest in areas where existing communication and reasoning skills could be applied to newer AI technologies.
The highest benchmark scores were recorded in Data Storytelling Essentials, AI and Data Communication, and Responsible AI Essentials. In contrast, technical AI domains such as Deep Learning Fundamentals and Beyond LLMs: Prompts, Agents, and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) recorded the lowest proficiency levels.
"Talent is still the greatest multiplier in the AI era, that's why OpenAI and Anthropic are hiring at such a pace." said Kian Katanforoosh, CEO of Workera. "But most companies can't afford to attract top AI talent. What they can do is act now to make their workforce AI-ready, and that requires more than standard training."
The report identified Agentic AI capabilities as one of the weakest enterprise skill areas measured, with only 13% of employees achieving an Accomplished proficiency level before upskilling efforts.
Workera warned that organizations failing to address advanced AI capability gaps risk concentrating critical AI expertise among a small number of employees, potentially creating operational bottlenecks and slowing enterprise AI execution.
The report also noted that enterprise employees generally demonstrate stronger data-related skills than AI-specific capabilities, largely because organizations have spent years building data literacy programs while AI adoption remains relatively new.
According to Workera, the findings suggest enterprises that previously invested in data literacy initiatives now have an advantage in accelerating AI readiness programs.
Workera’s research found that structured and targeted upskilling programs can significantly improve AI and data skill proficiency across organizations.
Employees who completed targeted upskilling programs improved their Data Visualization and Storytelling capabilities by 72% on average. Improvements were also reported in AI Essentials and Generative AI Essentials, with average gains of 47% and 53%, respectively.
The report emphasized that successful workforce transformation strategies begin with accurate skills measurement rather than relying on self-assessments.
According to Workera, only 11% of employees can accurately evaluate their own skill levels, while nearly 70% either overestimate or underestimate their capabilities.
"Accurate skills verification is the essential foundation for today's talent and upskilling strategies." said Bernardo Fonseca Nunes, PhD, Data & AI Transformation Specialist at Workera. "In the AI age, enterprises win or lose based on their learning velocity. More important than what your teams know today is how fast they can close tomorrow's skills gaps."
The report reflects broader enterprise concerns around workforce preparedness as organizations move from AI experimentation toward operational AI deployment at scale.
Workera said AI transformation increasingly depends not only on technology investments but also on organizations’ ability to rapidly develop internal AI capabilities through measurement-driven upskilling programs.
The research included 88,753 assessments conducted across 32,422 individuals representing industries such as financial services, pharmaceuticals, professional services, consumer packaged goods, healthcare, and the U.S. federal government.
As enterprises continue embedding AI into day-to-day operations, the report suggests that workforce learning velocity and measurable skill development may become key competitive differentiators in the evolving AI economy.
Workera is the enterprise's trusted and verified skills data layer, powering critical talent decisions across hiring, development, workforce planning, and AI transformation to align business priorities with real capabilities and accelerate productivity and innovation.
Trusted by Fortune 500 customers, Workera has been recognized by TIME's Best EdTech Companies and World's Top HRTech Companies in 2025 and 2026; the World Economic Forum's Tech Pioneers; and Inc.'s 2025 Fastest Growing Companies. In 2024, Workera was named one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies alongside Microsoft, Canva, and others leading the AI revolution.
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