(September 29, 2026) – Littler, the world’s largest labor and employment law practice representing management, has released its 2026 Labor Survey Report. The survey reveals the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in labor relations, as well as how business leaders are adapting employee engagement initiatives in the current landscape.
The report’s second edition draws on responses from 665 in-house lawyers, HR professionals and business executives at unionized and nonunionized organizations. Ninety-three percent are based in the U.S., with the remaining 7% based outside the U.S. at organizations with U.S. operations.
The survey finds that most respondents (87%) expect unions to use employee fears about AI displacing or changing jobs to fuel organizing interest over the next year. A notable portion also believe that increased AI use will reshape job responsibilities (67%), redistribute work across teams (42%) and reduce entry-level roles (30%). Yet only 9% feel that their organizations are “very prepared” to manage the labor and employee relations issues AI adoption may create.
Concern about job displacement and workforce reductions is already the most common AI-related issue that organizations with unionized employees have encountered in union discussions or collective bargaining negotiations, with 58% noting this issue has emerged. Fifty-six percent say the same of AI-related shifts in job responsibilities or productivity...
Millions of Aussies will be cheering Ben Roberts-Smith after seeing his publicity campaign. But we must leave all these matters to a criminal court to decide – this time beyond reasonable doubt.