Employees across the UK are calling for urgent investment in artificial intelligence training, as confidence wanes in government efforts to prepare the workforce for the demands of the AI economy.
A global survey by customer-relationship platform Salesforce and research firm Morning Consult found that 46 percent of UK workers believe the responsibility for upskilling should be shared between business, government, civil society and academia. But just 22 percent said they had confidence in the government’s current efforts to fund AI training.
The findings are based on responses from 14,000 adults in 13 countries and point to a growing divide between workers’ desire to learn and institutions’ readiness to support them. In the UK, only 44 percent of employed adults said their workplace was prepared to use AI tools in daily work, placing it behind countries like India and Saudi Arabia, where coordinated national investment has boosted adoption.
Employers falling short
Although nearly four in five UK workers said that access to training now shapes where they choose to work, only 37 percent expected their current employer to invest more in AI learning over the next 12 months.
The report found that across all markets, just 29 percent of workers said their organisation was doing enough to equip staff with AI skills. Only slightly more – 28 percent – believed their government was investing sufficiently in training programmes.
Aliki Foinikopoulou, senior director of global public policy at Salesforce, warned that slow progress could cost organisations talent and credibility. She said companies needed to scale training and certification schemes or risk falling behind.
“Investing in training isn’t just about filling technical roles,” she said. “It’s about building confidence, boosting competitiveness and making AI adoption sustainable. Companies that move slowly risk losing talent and trust. The focus now should be for businesses and governments to scale training, certification schemes and support to ensure no one is left behind.”
Self-funded learning on the rise
While institutional support remains limited, workers themselves are not waiting. The study found that 45 percent of adults globally plan to spend their own money on AI learning in the coming year. In the UK, 64 percent of employees said they would be more likely to take AI-related training if governments provided financial support, such as discounts or subsidies.
This change in behaviour reflects growing worker awareness that AI is reshaping the labour market, and that staying relevant means acquiring new technical and digital skills.
The UK’s relatively low AI readiness contrasts sharply with some emerging economies. In India, 83 percent of respondents said their workplace was prepared to adopt AI in daily tasks, followed by 70 percent in Saudi Arabia. In France and Italy, the figures dropped to 29 percent and 36 percent respectively, showing that advanced economies are not necessarily leading the way.
Salesforce’s Global AI Readiness Index previously found that long-term institutional planning – including public-private partnerships, infrastructure development and national skills strategies – was a key factor in adoption.
Why government still matters
While employers are seen as key drivers of workplace learning, workers also want more support from policymakers. In the UK, nearly half (46 percent) of adults said AI training should be a shared responsibility between business, government, academia and civil society.
In January, the government set out its vision in the AI Opportunities Action Plan, which outlined efforts to expand skills provision, boost public-private collaboration and grow the national AI talent pipeline. The strategy includes support for higher education courses, apprenticeships and technical training in artificial intelligence.
But the survey reveals that public trust remains limited. Just 22 percent of UK workers said they believed the government was investing enough in AI training, suggesting a gap between stated ambition and worker expectations.
With employee demand for training rising, organisations are being encouraged to take action now. Suggested steps include:
- Conducting internal audits to identify current AI capability gaps
- Partnering with training providers or industry bodies to deliver targeted upskilling
- Offering employees subsidised access to online AI courses
- Creating internal career development frameworks linked to AI proficiency
- Ensuring inclusivity by offering flexible, modular learning options for different levels
Failing to act, the report warns, may lead to greater job dissatisfaction, loss of talent and a widening digital divide. As AI becomes central to more roles, being unprepared could affect both workforce resilience and business sustainability.
