HR trusts reskilling for AI roles but still hires externally, Careerminds finds

Research findings

Careerminds, a US-based workforce solutions provider, has released findings that show a stark gap between HR’s confidence in reskilling and its hiring practices for AI-related roles. The study, conducted in partnership with research firm Censuswide, surveyed 595 HR professionals and 547 people managers at US organizations with 500 to 10,000 or more employees in May 2026.

Confidence in reskilling vs. external hiring

The survey reveals that 92% of HR professionals and 88% of people managers believe existing employees can be reskilled for AI-related positions. However, 51% of HR professionals and 47% of managers say their organizations are hiring externally for these roles, while only 42% report redeploying internal talent.

Cost and time implications

Mark Saddic, Senior Partner at Careerminds, said companies are investing in AI while overlooking their own workforce—a disconnect that could prove costly. External hiring is shown to cost three to five times more than reskilling existing employees and can take up to 20 days longer to fill roles.

Barriers to reskilling

The study identifies limited visibility into employee skills as a key barrier, with 43% of HR professionals and 34% of managers citing it as an obstacle to reskilling. Saddic noted that this gap makes it difficult to identify which employees are suited for AI-related roles.

Industry variations in hiring practices

Industry differences are pronounced. In technology and telecom, external hiring exceeds redeployment by 15 percentage points. Media and entertainment is the exception, with 56% of HR professionals reporting redeployment compared to 25% who hire externally.

Connection to broader AI adoption trends

Earlier coverage of the AIQ Summit highlighted a shift from AI experimentation to execution, with leaders from ServiceNow and Accenture emphasizing workforce upskilling and governance. Careerminds’ research reinforces this trend but shows many organizations are still stuck in pilot mode—believing in reskilling in theory but failing to execute it at scale.

Separately, SailPoint’s recent launch of real-time identity security for AI agents underscores the growing need for tools that map both human and machine skills, which could address the visibility gap identified in the Careerminds study.

What this means

Lazyfounder analysis — our interpretation, not reported fact.

Careerminds’ findings expose a costly gap for operators: HR teams believe in reskilling but still pay a 3–5× premium and lose 20 days per hire by sourcing AI talent externally. The disconnect is sharpest in tech and telecom, where external hiring leads redeployment by 15 percentage points—suggesting that skills platforms like Workera (used by ServiceNow, Accenture, and US Space Force) could become table stakes for any firm serious about retaining and retraining rather than firing and rehiring.

Key takeaways

• HR’s belief in reskilling is not translating into action: 92% of HR leaders see potential, but 51% still hire externally for AI roles.
• Visibility into employee skills is the bottleneck: 43% of HR teams cite it as a barrier, pointing to a market need for scalable skills-assessment tools.
• Tech and telecom firms are most aggressive in external hiring, creating retention risk and higher costs; media and entertainment bucks the trend by redeploying more than it hires.
• External hires cost 3–5× more and take 20 days longer, making reskilling not just an HR issue but a cost-center concern.

Related on Lazyfounder

• ServiceNow
• Accenture
• AIQ Summit: From AI experimentation to execution, leaders emphasize workflows and governance
• SailPoint launches real-time identity security for the agentic era