In the last few years, most businesses have been forced to adapt to the ever-changing market conditions and accordingly adjust their feet in the new environment. Organizations were bound to learn about managing their business virtually- from upskilling and reskilling their workforce to virtual employee onboarding and training on staying motivated and productive. Everyone contributed towards meeting these business goals and unlocking success, but the crux of all resided in the Learning & Development (L&D) teams.
Earlier, L&D teams focused on having a more outcomes-driven and strategy-led mindset to deliver effective managed learning services. Today, learning leaders actively use their influence to ensure the alignment of people and business strategies. This year, the primary areas of focus for L&D teams include:
- Aligning learning programs with business objectives.
- Enhancing employee skills through upskilling initiatives.
- Fostering a culture of continuous learning.
- Improving employee retention.
- AI-driven personalized learning experiences.
- Human-led coaching and learning communities.
- Focus on adaptive skills over credentials.
According to the LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2025, 88% of organizations are concerned about employee retention, and employees say they would stay longer at a company that invests in their learning. This reinforces the strategic role of L&D as a primary driver of retention and workforce stability in 2026.
Focusing More on Managing a Hybrid Workforce
In 2025, as highlighted by the GITNUX MARKETDATA report, 98% of employees would like to work remotely at least some of the time for the rest of their careers. Therefore, L&D teams must continue their emphasis on managing a hybrid workforce. The goal remains to ensure productivity, upskilling, and connectivity among employees. Additionally, innovative strategies are essential to adapt to evolving business priorities, navigate workforce transformation, and identify the skills needed to thrive in the impending hybrid future.
Reviving L&D Strategies to Counter the ‘Great Re-resignation’
The main reason behind the great resignation is employees’ lack of motivation and involvement, negatively impacting overall job satisfaction and employee well-being. According to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the trend of the “Great Resignation,” characterized by a substantial number of U.S. workers voluntarily leaving their jobs, persisted in February 2023, with over 4 million workers quitting.
This figure slightly decreased from the number of quits observed in January 2023, which had fallen below the 4 million mark. In October 2025, the number and rate of quits were little changed at 2.9 million and 1.8%, respectively. The number of quits was down by 276,000 over the year. While resignation rates have stabilized, voluntary turnover remains structurally high. Many labor market analysts now refer to this phase as the “Great Resignation 2.0” or “Great Re-Resignation,” underscoring a sustained shift in employee expectations. Employees are prioritizing more than compensation alone, with resignations increasingly driven by:
L&D teams will play a pivotal role in addressing the great re-signation. They will need to rethink their strategy to boost engagement and retention, ensuring the well-being of every employee.
Using Data to Measure Employee Productivity
Traditionally, it was easy for L&D departments to assess workforce performance and business efficiency via in-person interactions. Adopting the remote-first and hybrid culture, L&D professionals need robust tools to monitor employee productivity, skills, and overall business impact.
Productivity and skills and overall business impact. Backed by advanced analytical tools to train and upskill remote teams, L&D leaders can collect accurate data to improve workforce skills, assess training impact, unlock employee performance, and measure business success.
In 2026, learning analytics will increasingly move from descriptive reporting to predictive insights. L&D leaders will leverage AI-powered platforms to forecast future skill gaps, personalize learning pathways, and demonstrate a clear link between learning investments and business outcomes.
Fostering a Mindset to Improve Workforce Resilience
Organizations must collaborate with managed learning service providers to build a more resilient and agile workforce. They need a mindset to focus on employee upskilling and reskilling to drive business success. Here, optimism is critical for L&D teams to build a resilient workforce.
By adopting a cognitive restructuring approach, L&D leaders must encourage their teams to stay optimistic by avoiding negative thinking and shifting towards positive thought patterns. In the current scenario, L&D is equally important in improving workforce resilience by identifying skills that match business requirements and relate to higher productivity levels.
Embedding AI Literacy and Human Skills Development
As AI adoption accelerates across industries, L&D teams in 2026 must balance AI literacy with human-centric skills such as leadership, ethical judgment, communication, and adaptability. According to the World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report 2025, on average, workers can expect that two-fifths (39%) of their existing skill sets will be transformed or become outdated over the 2025-2030 period.
Analytical thinking will continue to rank as one of the most in-demand skills, followed closely by resilience, flexibility, and agility, along with leadership and social influence. At the same time, AI and big data will lead the list of fastest-growing skills, with networks, cybersecurity, and technology literacy gaining equal prominence. This evolution will place L&D at the center of preparing employees not only to work alongside AI, but to confidently lead and make decisions in AI-enabled environments.
To meet these growing demands without increasing internal complexity, more organizations are turning to managed learning services (MLS). MLS enables enterprises to scale learning delivery, access specialized instructional design expertise, and ensure consistent learner experiences globally—while allowing internal L&D teams to focus on strategy, innovation, and impact.
The Final Word
The increasing role of L&D will aid organizations in striving forward during this current period of ambiguity. With a greater focus on employee upskilling, dependency on data for L&D decisions, and cultivating a hybrid workforce, L&D teams will stay at the forefront in bringing strategic changes in 2026.
Infopro Learning can help your organization build a perfect operating model to improve managed learning services. We can help your organization build a perfect operating model to improve your L&D initiatives via managed learning services.
Download ‘Building an Effective Operating Model for Digital Learning,’ a collaboration between Infopro Learning and Fosway Group, to help you develop an effective model for digital learning in the corporate scenario.
