Korn Ferry’s India cut of its Workforce 2026 survey, released September 30, finds 76% of Indian respondents feel adequately trained on AI tools, against 52% globally. The same respondents report the heavier load: 78% say their workloads rose significantly over two years, against 62% globally. Korn Ferry’s own reading is that efficiency gains are being absorbed into more tasks.
By the Numbers
78% vs 62%: Indian respondents and global respondents reporting significantly higher workloads over two years (Korn Ferry).
76% vs 52%: Indian and global respondents who feel adequately trained on AI tools (Korn Ferry).
62% vs 45%: Indian and global respondents too busy to deliver meaningful results (Korn Ferry).
79% vs 51%: CEOs and individual contributors reporting improved efficiencies from AI in the global survey (Korn Ferry).
Reskilling and Education
Korn Ferry: Indian workers report the strongest AI training and the heaviest workloads
The Workforce 2026 survey covers more than 16,000 professionals in 11 markets, including 2,000 in India. Indian respondents are more positive about AI’s workplace impact (86% against 65% globally) and more likely to say they are adequately trained (76% against 52%). They also report heavier loads. 78% say workloads rose significantly over two years, 73% say AI increased task volume in their roles, and 62% are too busy to deliver meaningful results (45% globally). Sandeep Bhalla, Korn Ferry’s head of consulting in India, said: “AI is helping employees complete tasks faster, but productivity alone does not guarantee better business outcomes.” The global report, published September 8, shows a perception gap by seniority: 79% of CEOs report improved efficiencies from AI against 51% of individual contributors. It also finds 61% of employees performing more than one role’s responsibilities, motivation down from 71% in 2024 to 61% in 2026, and 42% of organizations cutting management roles in the past year. Korn Ferry sells workforce consulting, and the survey is its own research.
Korn Ferry, Sandeep Bhalla, September 30, 2026 (5 days old; India release of a flagship survey, syndicated through Business Wire India). Read the report. Global report, September 8, 2026: Read the global report
Why it matters: Indian workers feel better trained than the global average and still report heavier loads, so training alone has not offset volume. Leaders who treat efficiency gains as spare capacity are adding tasks for people who say they are too busy to deliver. Measure workload per role before and after each rollout.
What Workforce Leaders Are Watching
Does the business case for an AI rollout record the task volume added to each role, or only the hours saved?
CEOs report AI efficiency gains at 79% and individual contributors at 51%. Who in the organization measures that gap, and does it appear in workload and motivation data?
With 42% of organizations cutting management roles, which managers are left to encourage the experimentation 52% of workers credit them for?
This briefing was prepared automatically by the Workforce Rewired research assistant. All stories include direct source links.