AI is transforming the way businesses operate, but that truth is not yet universally understood. Companies in certain industries — and even in certain countries — are racing to equip their workforces with the skills they need for an AI-enabled future, while others fall behind. 

To capture the perspective of enterprise L&D leaders, Workera recently surveyed 800 full-time professionals who oversee workforce development, skills strategy, or L&D programs. 

Each of the respondents in the 2025 State of Skills Intelligence Report is a manager or above for a company with 5,000 or more employees. We gleaned insights from leaders across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Germany. Those leaders represented more than a dozen industries, with the top sectors being manufacturing, financial services, retail, and technology/software.

Some of the findings were expected: the tech industry is leading the charge on AI skills. Others were eye-opening, particularly when it comes to which countries are moving the fastest with AI skill development. Earlier this year, U.S. technology companies were shocked by the release of the Chinese AI model DeepSeek. The results of our survey point to future surprises — including some from the United States’ northern neighbor.

Let’s dive into the data.

Manufacturers are lagging on AI adoption

The technology industry is, as one might expect, leading the charge on AI skills. Tech has the highest percentage of organizations using AI across multiple business functions (86%), the highest fully defined and implemented AI adoption strategies (66%), and the strongest belief that their workforce will be fully “AI-ready” within two years (78%). 

Manufacturing, on the other hand, has the lowest percentage of organizations using AI across multiple business functions (62%), the lowest fully defined and implemented AI adoption strategies (33%), and the weakest belief that their workforce will be fully “AI-ready” within two years (59%). 

Respondents in retail had the strongest faith that their organizations are investing enough in workforce skills to keep pace with AI adoption. However, they had the least confidence in their organization’s onboarding process and ability to bridge any skills gaps. The financial services industry has the highest percentage of new hires fully trained in AI-related skills within the first 90 days (41%). That’s good news, because they are most likely (44%) to consider it very important to take AI skills into account when making headcount decisions. 

Skills verification — confirming that someone possesses a skill, and the extent to which they’ve mastered it — is the cornerstone of any upskilling campaign. It helps leaders gain confidence in their skills data, which in turn enables more informed and impactful decisions. We asked L&D leaders if they were familiar with the concept, which we defined as a way to accurately measure and confirm people’s skills with objective assessments. Overall, 97% of respondents had heard of the concept, and 40% were very familiar. However, there are differences in awareness between industries: L&D leaders in the technology or software industry were more familiar than those in financial services, manufacturing, or retail. 

Surprise: Canada is outpacing the US in AI-readiness

Many in the technology industry assume that the United States is setting the pace when it comes to AI innovation, but the data tells a different story. Across the five countries Workera surveyed, the United States had the least fully designed and approved formal AI business objectives for 2025 (44%), the least fully defined and implemented AI adoption strategies (42%), and were least likely to believe their employees are on track to acquire the necessary skills for an AI-enabled future beyond tools like ChatGPT (40%). However, the United States did have the highest percentage of new hires fully trained in AI-related skills within the first 90 days (44%). 

If the United States is lagging on AI, its neighbors to the north are pulling ahead. Canada had the most fully designed and approved formal AI business objectives for 2025 (64%), the most fully defined and implemented AI adoption strategies (61%), and the strongest belief that their organization will be “AI-ready” within two years (68%) L&D leaders in Canada were most likely to believe that companies that do not invest in AI skills will lose competitive advantage within three years. Fortunately, they are the most confident that their organizations are investing enough in workforce skills to keep pace with AI adoption (54%). Canadians plan to increase headcount more than any other nation surveyed.

In Europe, AI adoption is happening at different paces:

  • The United Kingdom has the most organizations actively using AI tools across multiple business functions (82%) and the strongest belief that AI will lead their company to increase, rather than reduce, overall headcount. 
  • Respondents in France were the least confident that their organizations are investing enough in workforce skills to keep pace with AI adoption.
  • L&D leaders in Germany had the most faith that their employees are currently on track to acquire the necessary skills for an AI-enabled future beyond tools like ChatGPT — and the most confidence they can measure the business impact of their AI skills training programs.
  • Overall, enterprise L&D leaders in Europe are significantly more likely (64% vs 45%) than their North American counterparts to believe their employees are currently on track to acquire the necessary skills for an AI-enabled future beyond tools like ChatGPT. But they aren’t resting on their laurels. Europeans are also more likely (45% vs 33%) to be planning significant increases in their investment in AI skills development over the next 12 months.

Stand out from the crowd with AI innovation

Enterprises in some countries and industries are racing ahead of their competitors on AI skills. Organizations that set an AI business objective for 2025 are reaping the benefits: they’re significantly more likely to feel their skills initiatives are aligned with broader business goals; their training programs are very effective in closing skill gaps; and their employees are on track to acquire the necessary skills for an AI-enabled future beyond ChatGPT.

Regardless of whether your industry peers or neighbors are keeping pace, you can help your workforce acquire, develop, and verify AI skills. The impact will be immediate. 

For more, read the full 2025 State of Skills Intelligence Report. You’ll find actionable data on how AI skills adoption is impacting business performance and L&D strategies, as well as insights on the impacts of AI regulations and risks.