78% of global leaders consider hiring for AI roles, Microsoft finds

78% of global leaders are actively moving to hire for AI-focused roles, a number that rises to 95% among Frontier Firms, which are organisations at the forefront of AI adoption, according to a survey conducted by Microsoft.

Among these leaders, 32% plan to hire AI trainers, 32% plan to hire AI data specialists, 31% plan to hire AI security specialists, and 30% plan to hire AI agent specialists.

AI adoption is also changing how teams perform, with 82% of global leaders confident that AI agents will be used as digital team members to expand workforce capacity within the next 12–18 months, according to the Microsoft survey.

According to the Microsoft 2025 Work Trend Index Annual Report, leaders’ confidence in using AI agents varies by region: 79% in North America, 89% in Latin America, 84% in Asia-Pacific, and 77% in Europe are confident that they’ll be using AI agents in the future. 

Expanding team capacity with digital labor is also a top priority for nearly half of the leaders (45%), second only to upskilling existing employees (47%). 

At the same time, 33% of leaders are considering potential headcount reductions, highlighting how AI is transforming both workflows and workforce composition.

AI literacy has emerged as the most in-demand skill for 2025, alongside conflict mitigation, adaptability, process automation, and innovative thinking. 

As such, nearly a third of leaders say AI saves them more than an hour each day, showing clear productivity benefits.

The Human-Agent Mindset

The way work is approached is being shaped by AI adoption, which influences both the tools used by employees and the management practices of leaders. 

AI is viewed as a command-based tool by 52% of respondents, while 46% see it as a thought partner, reflecting its growing role in decision-making and problem-solving.

The “agent boss mindset” has been adopted more rapidly by leaders than by employees, as familiarity with AI agents is reported by 67% of leaders, compared to 40% of employees. 

Trust in AI for high-stakes work is reported by 54% of leaders, versus 29% of employees. Regular use of AI is reported by 69% of leaders, compared to 45% of employees, which shows that AI has become an integral part of leadership workflows.

Among employees who use AI for its capabilities rather than to replace human work, 42% consider 24/7 availability the most valuable feature, 30% value machine speed and quality, and 28% appreciate having unlimited ideas on demand.

Among these, features related to avoiding human traits, such as impatience or the need for repeated explanations, are considered less important.

Future of Work with AI

Concerns about job security are being reported by 52% of employees and 57% of leaders, which reflects a growing perception that employment stability is no longer guaranteed in many industries.

AI agents are already being used by 46% of leaders to fully automate workflows or business processes for entire teams or functions. 

Over the next five years, companies expect teams to take on new responsibilities. Among surveyed leaders, 38% expect teams to redesign business processes with AI, 42% to build multi-agent systems for complex tasks, 41% to train AI agents, and 36% to manage their operations.

Frontier Firms Leading the Way 

Frontier Firms outperform the global average of all surveyed companies across key measures of growth and workforce capacity:

• 71% of leaders in Frontier Firms report that their company is thriving, compared with 39% of all firms globally.
• 55% of leaders indicate that their teams have the capacity to take on additional work, versus 25% of firms worldwide. Opportunities for meaningful work are reported by 90% of Frontier Firm leaders, compared with 77% of all global firms
• Optimism about future work is higher among Frontier Firm leaders (93% vs. 80% globally), while concern over AI replacing jobs is lower (21% vs. 43% globally).
• 24% of Frontier Firms have deployed AI across the organisation, while 12% remain in pilot mode.

These findings underscore the importance of adapting to “intelligence on tap.” AI is being recognised as a critical tool for closing capacity gaps, reshaping workflows, and influencing workforce roles and skill requirements.

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