Workspan Daily News Bytes for Oct. 9, 2026

CHRO Confidence Remains Positive, But AI Is Biggest Obstacle

Confidence among U.S. chief human resource officers (CHROs) remained positive in the third quarter of 2026, yet the number continues to edge down, according to the latest CHRO Confidence Index produced by The Conference Board, a nonprofit research organization.

The index declined to 56 in the third quarter from 58 in the previous quarter. A reading above 50 reflects more positive than negative responses.

Hiring expectations remained positive though. The survey found:

53% of the CHROs expect hiring to increase over the next six months, compared with 17% who expect it to decrease.
Those expectations were relatively stable from Q2, when 54% expected an increase and 17% expected a decrease.

Meanwhile, expectations for overall workforce size have cooled, with the survey showing:

49% of the CHROs expected total workforce size to increase over the next six months, down from 55% in Q2.
28% expected workforce size to remain unchanged, up from 23%.
23% expect their workforce to decrease, essentially unchanged from 22% in Q2.

The survey also revealed that artificial intelligence (AI) is changing workforce planning. Findings included:

67% of CHROs have analyzed AI’s potential impact on jobs, tasks or workforce demand.
67% have brought AI technologies or AI leaders into workforce planning discussions.
55% describe their organization as prepared to manage AI-driven workforce change over the next two years, but only 4% say they are very prepared.
50% said their organization has made only a slight change to workforce planning.
45% have incorporated new AI-related workforce, skills or labor-market data.

The survey also showed the biggest barriers for CHROs to successful AI workforce planning were:

Difficulty predicting AI’s workforce impact (41%)
Limited AI skills among the current workforce (39%)
An unclear AI strategy (31%)

“Organizations are balancing the need for talent with slower workforce growth and mounting concerns about engagement and retention,” said Diana Scott, the U.S. human capital center leader at The Conference Board. “At the same time, AI is forcing leaders to rethink what skills they will need in the future and how they plan their workforces.”

Most U.S. Employers Are Paying More for Candidates with Specialized Skills

Fifty-seven percent of managers said they’re offering higher-than-planned salaries to attract new talent, citing specialized skills as the top reason, according to the 2027 Salary Guide, released on Oct. 1, by consulting firm Robert Half.

The survey included responses from more than 2,000 U.S. hiring managers, business leaders and employed workers.

According to the data, employers are factoring AI capabilities into salary offers: 72% of the surveyed managers said they are increasing pay for relevant AI skills and 42% said AI expertise commands more than other technical skills.

In addition, 96% of the respondents said they included salary ranges in job descriptions or plan to do so, citing the top benefits as:

Attracting a higher-quality candidate pool (60%)
Improving employee retention (57%)
Strengthening salary negotiations (53%)
Reducing time-to-hire (34%)

“Salary transparency and market-informed compensation strategies are critical hiring differentiators,” said Dawn Fay, the operational president of Robert Half. “When employers provide clarity around pay and align salaries with current market conditions, they are better positioned to attract talent, retain employees and streamline the hiring process.”

United Kingdom Expands Leave for Family Bereavement and Pregnancy Loss

Starting in April 2027, employees in the United Kingdom (UK) who lose a spouse, partner, parent, adult child or sibling will be entitled to up to two weeks of unpaid leave.

Additionally, women and their partners who experience a pregnancy loss before 24 weeks — including miscarriage, terminations and unsuccessful IVF embryo transfers — will be entitled to up to two weeks of unpaid leave. For pregnancy loss, this new right will also apply to partners, the other biological parent or intended parents in a surrogacy arrangement.

The leave will be able to be taken flexibly within 56 weeks of the loss and as single days rather than a full block.

These changes build on the existing right to Parental Bereavement Leave for parents who experience a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy or the death of a child under 18.

“No one should have to fight for time to grieve,” said UK Minister for the Future of Work Kate Dearden. “These changes back people going through some of the hardest moments of life, whoever they are and wherever they work.”

Report: Most Employees Still Consider Themselves Loyal

Most U.S. workers believe workplace loyalty is one-sided, according to a Workplace Loyalty Report by employment website Monster.

Ninety percent of the workers surveyed said companies expect more loyalty from employees than they are willing to give in return.

Compared to five years ago:

71% of the respondents believe companies are more focused on profits than employees.
46% said companies are less loyal to employees.
28% said employer loyalty has remained about the same.
25% said employer loyalty has improved.

Despite concerns about employer loyalty, the survey found most workers still consider themselves loyal to their current employer: 80% describe themselves as either very or moderately loyal, while 20% say they’re slightly or not loyal.

According to the survey, workers describe their loyalty as:

31% are very loyal. They feel strongly committed to staying with their company long-term.
49% are moderately loyal. They prefer to stay but would leave under certain circumstances.
14% are slightly disloyal. They would leave if a better opportunity became available.
6% aren’t loyal. They actively look for new opportunities regardless of their current role.

Figures and Facts of the Week

92: The percentage of U.S. workers who said the right incentives could get them back in the office more often, according to a new report by video conferencing company Owl Labs. Compensation was the top reason at 39%, with the ability to choose in-office days behind it at 29%.
78: The percentage of U.S. people managers who said they have used AI tools in the past 12 months to handle employee feedback or a performance review, according to a report by Highwire, a performance conditioning coaching program.
70: The percentage of U.S. workers who believe highly visible employees are rewarded more than workers who quietly produce strong results, according to a new survey by career website MyPerfectResume.
68: The percentage of U.S. pharmacists who reported cash-pay glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) transactions have increased in the past 12 months, according to a survey by healthcare platform Buzz Health. The findings suggest the drug category is moving away from insurance claims and toward alternative payment solutions.
58: The percentage of frontline workers across the U.S. and UK who have been asked to carry out a task without the relevant training, according to the new report by learning platform Kahoot! Additionally, 37% of workers surveyed said they received no formal training at all in the past year.
49: The percentage of workers who have reframed their responsibilities or accomplishments when editing a past job, according to survey of LinkedIn users by employment website Monster.
30: The percentage of leaders who said a meeting tech issue cost their organization 16 minutes or more each time it happened, according to a Logitech survey commissioned The Harris Poll. The median loss, across every leader surveyed, was 12.2 minutes.
27: The percentage of U.S. workers, who worry that technology could soon make their jobs obsolete, up seven percentage points from last year, according to research from Gallup.