C-Suite Split: 27% Cut AI Investment in Upskilling Despite Headcount Reduction Goals
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Denver – – September 29, 2026 -- Executives targeting AI-driven headcount reduction are nearly half as likely to fund the upskilling needed to realize AI efficiency gains, according to new research from Businessolver released as part of its 11th annual State of Workplace Empathy study.
Cost-cutting executives skip the training investment that enables AI payoff
Among the 27% of C-suite leaders who name cost savings through headcount reduction as a top AI investment goal, just 18% also prioritize AI upskilling, compared with 35% of CXOs who do not pursue headcount reduction. The gap widens on predictive analytics investment, where only 21% of cost-cutting leaders prioritize it versus 44% of their peers.