A workforce moving at different speeds
The global survey identifies four worker archetypes, based on the benefits employees gain from AI and the perceived demand for their skills.
Front-runners combine strong AI advantages with skills that are in high demand. They report greater motivation, confidence, and readiness to adapt. AI insurgents bring technological confidence and ambition, while the Indispensables have valuable expertise but less hands-on experience with AI.
The largest group is the Engine room, the core workforce. These workers are essential to organisational delivery, but have more limited access to meaningful AI use, learning, and innovation. Globally, they also report lower confidence in their skills, job security, and leadership.
Four worker archetypes emerge, defined by labour market pressure and AI advantage
| AI advantage | Low labour market pressure |
High labour market pressure |
| High AI advantage | AI insurgents: 18%Unexpected beneficiaries challenging assumptions about where value sits
Profile: Workers outside traditionally scarce roles who are nevertheless gaining strong advantage from AI. They challenge assumptions about where future value will come from.
Employer implication: Spot their potential early and create opportunities for them to grow into higher-value roles. |
Front-runners 14%Scarce talent amplified by AI
Profile: Workers combining scarce capabilities with strong AI advantage. They are confident, ambitious and increasingly valuable, but also the most likely to expect progression or look elsewhere.
Employer implication: Retain them through visible progression, autonomy and a role in shaping AI-enabled work. |
| Low/no AI advantage | The engine room: 56%Limited labour-market leverage and limited AI advantage
Profile: Workers outside the highest-pressure roles who are seeing little or no AI advantage. They are less connected to learning, innovation and future opportunity, making inclusion the central challenge.
Employer implication: Make AI relevant to everyday work and create credible pathways to build confidence and skills. |
The indispensables: 11%Scarce expertise still protecting their position despite limited AI advantage
Profile: Workers in the highest-pressure labour-market roles who are seeing limited or no advantage from AI. Their skills remain difficult to source or replace, but AI is not yet amplifying their effectiveness.
Employer implication: Protect critical expertise while creating role-specific opportunities for these workers to gain value from AI. |
These differences are not simply about personal ambition or attitude. Workers who benefit most from AI are more likely to work in organisations that reward learning, experimentation and new ways of working. The conditions created by employers can therefore significantly influence how confidently employees respond to change.
Turning AI adoption into opportunity
AI is becoming a more common part of working life, but adoption in Belgium remains below the global average.
| Belgium | Global |
| 56% used AI at work | 64% used AI at work |
Belgian employees do not appear significantly more concerned about AI than workers elsewhere. Only 18% see AI as a major threat to their jobs, broadly in line with the global figure of 19%. The challenge is therefore less about overcoming resistance and more about giving employees confidence and opportunities to use AI meaningfully.
Technology alone will not close this gap. Organisations can create greater value by combining access to AI with role-specific learning, opportunities to experiment, and a culture that rewards innovation rather than caution.
This is particularly relevant for employees whose expertise is essential to the organisation but who have had fewer opportunities to work with AI. Helping these workers combine their experience with new technology can strengthen both their confidence and their contribution.
Skills and trust enable change
Belgian employees feel less prepared for the future than their global peers:
60% say they have access to learning and development opportunities, compared with 70% globally
67% believe they can develop the skills needed for the future, compared with 77% globally
61% understand which future skills they will need, compared with 70% globally
The global findings show how unevenly these opportunities are distributed. Fewer than 40% of Engine room workers report access to learning and development resources, compared with nearly 80% of the front-runners.
Core workforce |
AI-enabled, high-demand workers (the front-runners) |
|
Opportunities to learn and grow |
39% |
79% |
| Confidence in developing new skills | 51% |
83% |
| Clarity about future skill needs | 39% | 76% |
Learning should therefore be accessible, relevant to employees’ roles and integrated into the working day. By extending development opportunities beyond employees who are already confident and digitally enabled, organisations can help a much broader part of the workforce move forward.
Trust is equally important. In Belgium, 44% of employees trust their direct manager, compared with 52% globally, while 37% trust senior leadership, compared with 47% globally.
Employees need to understand why change is happening, how it will affect their roles and how they will be supported. Managers play a crucial role in creating that clarity and turning transformation into something employees can actively participate in.
Different generations, different expectations
Generational differences add another layer to the Belgian picture. Younger employees are more likely to use AI and pursue career progression, but also report greater uncertainty about their future. Older generations generally place greater emphasis on stability and report higher confidence in their job security.
68% of Gen Z employees use AI at work, compared with 49% of Gen X and 22% of Baby Boomers
36% of Gen Z employees are likely to ask for a promotion, compared with 32% of Gen X and 19% of Baby Boomers
27% of Millennials are highly confident about their job security, compared with 35% of Baby Boomers
These findings show why one workforce approach will not work for everyone. Career stage, experience and access to technology all influence what employees need to remain engaged and confident.
Building confidence in what comes next
The Belgian workforce is navigating change with both caution and determination. Employees are adopting AI, developing new skills and embracing flexible ways of working, but confidence and opportunity are not yet equally distributed.
The greatest potential may lie with the employees who are essential to day-to-day delivery but currently have less access to AI, learning and innovation. Creating space for these workers to learn, contribute and experiment can strengthen motivation, trust and resilience across the wider organisation.
The willingness to adapt is there. By combining technology with relevant learning, supportive leadership and meaningful employee involvement, organisations can help more workers benefit from change and move forward with confidence.
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