CIPD HR Pulse Report 2026

The new annual benchmark for the people profession is here.

Brought to you by the CIPD and supported by Talking Talent, the 2026 HR pulse report provides a view of the challenges, priorities and opportunities shaping today’s workforce.

Video · 1 min 14 sec. Dr Mary-Clare Race on what the 2026 HR pulse findings mean for the people profession.

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Key findings from the 2026 HR pulse report

Based on a YouGov survey of more than 800 UK HR professionals, the report provides an annual snapshot of priority areas for people teams and where the gaps are.

Source: CIPD, HR pulse report 2026: Inside the people profession. YouGov survey of 800+ UK people professionals.

HR’s role has never been more important or more complex

People teams are helping organisations absorb advances in technology and AI, respond to constant change and keep pace with what employees now expect from work. And they’re doing it at a time when many people feel less certain about their careers and their lives overall.

The findings show a profession that knows its priorities. Performance, line manager capability and workforce planning are all firmly on the agenda. The challenge is turning those priorities into action, with the skills, measures and support to deliver them.

The people guiding change are living through it too

As our CEO Mary-Clare shares, what stands out in this research is that HR professionals are steering everyone else through a period of uncertainty while experiencing it themselves. Many are carrying the emotional weight of that work without always feeling supported to do it well.

“In a period that is this uncertain, the people agenda and the business strategy agenda cannot run separately and HR is the function best placed to bring them together.”

Dr Mary-Clare Race, CEO, Talking Talent

Why connection matters right now

When HR is stretched, connection is often the first thing to slip, between leaders and teams, between strategy and people and within the people function itself. Coaching helps rebuild it, giving HR leaders and line managers the space to think, the confidence to act and the support to keep going.

Our Connection Audit helps organisations explore the factors that influence engagement, wellbeing, retention and overall team performance, a practical starting point for acting on the report’s findings.