In the 2026 labour market, the key to success will be rapid learning and flexible adaptation to change, according to the ManpowerGroup report published today, “Pay Report 2026. Labour Market Trends – The Human Advantage.” Employees and companies that fail to update their skills at a pace matching the market’s evolution quickly fall behind. The year 2026 will bring high employee expectations, greater employer selectivity, and a growing importance of qualifications. At the same time, wage growth momentum remains stable, and companies are planning pay-rise budgets cautiously as they await new regulations on remuneration. The report’s partner is rocketjobs.pl.
Hybrid “superteams” and rapid learning become the new labour-market priorities
The labour market is accelerating toward a model that can be captured in two phrases: hybrid superteams and rapid learning. Although 61% of employers worldwide plan to increase investment in automation, technology still requires human oversight. From a global perspective, by 2030 as many as 39% of core skills will change, and the hardest areas to automate remain ethical judgement, customer service, and team management.
At the same time, project-based work is gaining importance, and by 2027 as many as half of workers in developed countries may operate in a gig model. The response to these shifts is rapid learning. Today, only 44% of employees have participated in training over the past six months. The transformation is accompanied by both productivity pressure and a focus on wellbeing: 63% of employees experience burnout, while low engagement costs the global economy USD 438 billion.
“The most important competence today is not what we know, but how quickly we can absorb new tools and ways of working. What worked two years ago may no longer be enough. The winners are those who can get in sync with change faster. If companies and employees want to keep up with the market, they must update skills more efficiently, pivot more flexibly, and treat transformation as a permanent part of how they operate,” says Tomasz Walenczak, Managing Director of ManpowerGroup Poland.
“We are seeing changing norms of work. There is no longer one single model of work — candidates, companies, their expectations, the pace of life, and pressure are all changing. At the same time, tasks are becoming increasingly modular, making them easier to split, combine, and scale. Automation accelerates this process by taking over some tasks, while people integrate them into a final outcome. The traditional employment model — based on fixed roles, standard working hours, and long-term predictability — is evolving,” adds the head of ManpowerGroup Poland.
“We are still at the stage of predicting AI’s potential rather than measuring its real impact, especially in the context of productivity. Organisations may implement advanced AI systems, but without employees capable of rapid adaptation, value creation slows down — and in extreme cases, it stops. As with previous technological revolutions, large-scale use of AI’s potential depends primarily on the people who use it, not solely on its technical capabilities. This shows that the constraint is organisational readiness and the capacity to learn. Technological progress delivers results only when people make use of it. The future of work is not about technology replacing people, but about people collaborating with intelligent systems. Technology expands capabilities, but outcomes depend on how people learn, adapt, and apply new tools,” a company representative comments.
Declining trust in leaders — a warning signal for companies?
Global data show that mandatory returns to the office increase turnover, especially among women, and that filling on-site roles takes 23% longer than filling hybrid ones. Trust in employers is also declining: 68% of employees believe business leaders deliberately mislead them.
By 2030, more than one quarter of workers in developed countries will be over 55, while only 39% of Generation X and 56% of millennials aspire to management roles. Global markets still lack robust mechanisms for knowledge transfer from experienced employees, and traditional university education is increasingly failing to prepare graduates for work. More than half of Gen Z fear that automation will take their jobs.
“The biggest challenge for companies today is not forcing office attendance, but maintaining engagement and retaining employees. The data show rising expectations around flexibility, role mobility, and skills development — although many organisations still struggle to meet them. The future of the labour market is not about choosing between office-based and remote work, but about creating an environment where people want to — and can — co-create value, regardless of where they work. Flexibility, transparency, and the ability to share knowledge are becoming key sources of competitive advantage.
“In the longer term, there is also a demographic and competency challenge. Without effective mechanisms for transferring knowledge and experience, companies risk a shortage of leaders and experts in critical areas. In this context, Poland stands out against global trends: although it may seem we have a large group of young people aspiring to promotion, fewer and fewer want to take on responsibility. This is a major challenge for any organisation, because the skills of the future are technology, accountability, decision-making, and collaboration. Technology scales what we already have — but if we don’t have leaders, it scales chaos,” Tomasz Walenczak concludes.
As Dagna Frydrych, Head of Marketing at rocketjobs.pl & justjoin.it, notes, remote work — until recently a standard in many industries — is becoming a niche. “On rocketjobs.pl, only 9% of job ads offer fully remote work. Even in IT, where remote mode seemed obvious, employers increasingly expect office presence. The number of hybrid offers has increased by 29%.
“For candidates, that means a simple calculation: on-site or hybrid roles are now the safer choice, while attractive remote positions will be reserved for a minority. At the same time, we are observing an interesting phenomenon in candidate behaviour. Although people talk about ‘job hugging’ — staying with an employer for stability rather than loyalty — the number of applications on our services is rising. We interpret this as an attempt to improve one’s economic situation and keep a finger on the pulse in uncertain times.
“With more applications coming in, there has been a significant shift in the balance of power: employers have become more selective and pay greater attention to each recruitment process. Candidates are no longer choosing — they are being chosen from among many, which junior applicants feel most acutely, because the market offers the fewest opportunities for them, while entry requirements remain high,” the expert adds.
Pay in 2026: candidates expect more, companies act cautiously
The year 2026 will be a time of high employee expectations, greater employer selectivity, and a growing importance of competencies. As Katarzyna Pączkowska, Director of Permanent Recruitment at Manpower, points out, employees entered the new year hoping to improve their financial situation and, faced with rising living costs, increasingly count on pay rises.
“One factor is remuneration transparency regulations, which have increased pay awareness and made it easier to navigate market salary ranges. At the same time, we are seeing growing complexity of roles and expectations toward candidates, as well as constant pressure on team efficiency. This means employees expect their work to be valued appropriately, although their rising aspirations often outpace companies’ budget capabilities,” she says.
“Wage growth dynamics remain similar to a year ago, and pay pressure is lower than in the post-pandemic years. Companies are approaching pay-rise budgets cautiously, also taking into account upcoming remuneration-related regulations. The new rules, which come into force this year, require HR departments to prepare extensively in job evaluation and to build consistent pay policies.
“It is fair to say that 2026 will once again be a year in which competencies are the key differentiator in the labour market. Candidates with unique technical and analytical experience, as well as scarce qualifications, will retain negotiating power and will still be able to expect attractive offers. At the same time, employers will invest more cautiously in acquiring new talent, putting greater emphasis on developing and upskilling existing employees,” she adds.
“However, a mismatch between employees’ salary expectations and employers’ capabilities will not be the main driver of job searching. Employment stability, development opportunities, attractive benefits packages, and flexibility are playing an increasingly important role. The working environment and organisational culture are also significant,” Katarzyna Pączkowska concludes.
