Now in its third year, the Human Progress Report documents a pivotal transition: job security is no longer defined by tenure or titles, but by adaptability, verified skills, and AI readiness. While workers overwhelmingly recognize the need to evolve, many lack clear signals, shared standards, and access to the credentials required to stay relevant.
"In the face of a changing job landscape, workers are quickly adapting," said Amit Sevak, CEO of ETS. "Four in five workers are building new skills, even though most can't envision their future job. Adaptability is becoming the new 'must have' skill."
Key Findings from the 2026 ETS Human Progress Report
- Adaptability is the new currency of job security: Seventy-seven percent of workers say job security now requires continuous evolution, and 61% report shifting their focus from stability to staying relevant.
- Workers are adapting-without clear direction: While 77% of workers are proactively building new skills, 71% say they cannot envision the future jobs those skills are preparing them for, underscoring a growing "adaptability paradox."
- AI is accelerating pressure and uncertainty: Sixty percent of workers feel pressured to adopt AI tools before they feel ready, and 73% say it is difficult to know what level of AI literacy employers expect. AI literacy shows the largest global skills gap-a 19-point difference between perceived importance and proficiency.
- Proof of skills has become essential-but access lags behind demand: Eighty-five percent of workers say credentials are essential for career survival, yet only 45% report having access to credentialing programs, exposing a widening gap between motivation and opportunity.
- Human progress continues, but unevenly: The ETS Human Progress Index rose for the third consecutive year, reaching 96.7 in 2026, driven largely by gains in education access. However, disparities persist for women, older workers, rural populations, and those without credentials.
A Three-Year View of a Workforce in Transition
Now in its third year, the ETS Human Progress Report offers a rare view into one of the most profound shifts in modern work: the move from static career paths to perpetual adaptation. Since its launch, the report has tracked how workers, institutions, and economies are responding to accelerating technological change, and how definitions of progress are being rewritten in real time:
- The first edition (2024) of the report revealed widespread disruption and rising anxiety as workers confronted rapid changes in skills, tools, and job expectations.
- The second year (2025) documented a turning point, as workers began taking action, embracing continuous learning, credentials, and emerging technologies to regain a sense of control.
- The 2026 report marks a new phase: while adaptability is now widely accepted as essential, workers are increasingly asking for clarity, structure, and proof to ensure their efforts translate into real opportunity.
Across all three years of data, a consistent theme has emerged: people are not resisting change; they are responding to it. Yet as AI accelerates the pace of transformation, the gap between effort and confidence has widened. Workers are adapting faster than the systems meant to support them, highlighting the growing importance of shared standards, trusted assessments, and equitable access to credentials that validate skills as they evolve.
The findings reinforce a clear mandate for employers, educators, and policymakers: adaptability must be supported by shared standards, trusted assessments, and equitable access to credentials, particularly as AI becomes a standard part of everyday work.
To explore the full findings and learn more, download the 2026 ETS Human Progress Report.
Methodology
This research was conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of ETS from August 25, 2025, to September 10, 2025, among a total of 32,558 adults ages 18 or older across 18 countries (Japan, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, UAE, UK, US, Vietnam. This year, the U.S. was oversampled to allow for additional state-level reporting to be release in the next few months. Data for each country are weighted, using a raking (aka RIM weighting) procedure, where necessary to bring them in line with their actual proportions in the population. Raking allows for weighting based on multiple variables to adjust each variable by as small an amount as possible.
About ETS
ETS is a global education and talent solutions organization enabling lifelong learners to be future ready. Our mission - advancing the science of measurement to power human progress - ensures our focus to enable everyone, everywhere, to demonstrate their skills and chart their path to future readiness for life. We are committed to readying 100M+ people for the next generation of jobs by 2035. We deliver on this commitment through trusted assessments and skills solutions - including TOEFL, TOEIC, GRE, Praxis and Futurenav - and groundbreaking initiatives powered by our Research Institute. With a robust global footprint, including subsidiaries (PSI), offices and operations in more than 200 countries and territories, we help over 50 million individuals each year measure their proficiency and unlock new opportunities. Discover how we expand our worldwide impact: www.ets.org
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