New research examines who owns skills strategy, how HR and L&D collaborate on it and why siloed skills data is leaving the workforce underprepared for what comes next.
Boca Raton, Florida — Thursday, July 9, 2026 — Brandon Hall Group™, a preeminent research and analyst firm, today announced the launch of The State of Skills in 2026 study, a comprehensive survey examining how organizations define, track and act on employee skills data.
The study investigates a question at the center of every workforce planning conversation: Do organizations know what skills they have, what skills they need and who is responsible for closing the gap between them.
The research comes as organizations report growing pressure to close skill gaps in AI and machine learning literacy, data analysis, change management and strategic decision-making, even as many still lack a clear owner for skills strategy or a reliable way to track skills across the enterprise. The study will examine the full lifecycle of a skills strategy, from ownership and data infrastructure to the collaboration gaps between HR and L&D and the barriers keeping organizations from closing the gap between where they are and where they need to be.
“Every organization we talk to says skills are a top priority, and yet very few can tell us with confidence who owns the strategy or whether their data is accurate enough to act on,” said Michael Rochelle, Chief Strategy Officer and Principal Analyst at Brandon Hall Group™. “This study will give L&D and HR leaders a clear-eyed look at where skills strategies are working, where they are breaking down and what it will take to build a workforce that can adapt as fast as the business demands.
Key focus areas of the study include:
- Ownership of skills strategy across HR, L&D, IT, Talent Acquisition and business units
- Organizational readiness to reskill and upskill employees for evolving demands
- Frequency and quality of collaboration between L&D and HR on skills planning
- Tools and systems used to track employee skills, and their limitations
- Currency and accessibility of skills data across HR and L&D
- Clarity of role-specific skill requirements and the most pressing skill gaps
- Where HR and L&D collaboration breaks down, and the biggest barriers to progress
- Executive visibility into skills strategy and how organizations measure its impact
The study is open to all corporate HR and L&D leaders who are directly involved in learning strategy, talent development or workforce planning. Results will be shared with all survey respondents.
HR and L&D leaders interested in participating can access the survey at: https://www.research.net/r/MZJRCZH.
About Brandon Hall Group Inc.
Brandon Hall Group is the only professional development company that offers data, research, insights, and certification to Learning and Talent executives and organizations. The best minds in Human Capital Management (HCM) choose Brandon Hall Group to help them create future-proof employee development plans for the new era.
For over 30 years, we have empowered, recognized, and certified excellence in organizations worldwide, affecting the development of over 10,000,000 employees and executives. Our HCM Excellence Awards were the first to recognize organizations for learning and talent and are the gold standard, known as the “Academy Awards of Human Capital Management.”
Our cloud-based platform provides evidence-based insights in Learning and Development, Talent Management, Leadership Development, Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Acquisition, and HR/Workforce Management for corporate organizations and HCM solution providers.
To learn more, visit www.brandonhall.com.
