What should your workforce actually look like in 2027?
We brought together ten senior leaders working across AI, data, technology and transformation to help answer that question.
The result is Beyond Headcount – a practical blueprint for workforce transformation in the AI era, designed to help leaders build their AI workforce readiness for 2027 and beyond.
Built by the people doing it
Beyond Headcount is built on the insight of La Fosse’s AI Workforce Council: ten senior leaders already navigating AI and workforce transformation inside complex organisations.
Together, they challenged the assumptions behind traditional workforce planning and explored what businesses need to do differently to prepare for 2027.
Three gaps are holding businesses back
Before you can build an AI-ready workforce, you need to know what’s getting in the way. An AI readiness assessment or AI maturity assessment can tell you where you are today, but the bigger question is what needs to change next.
Static planning vs dynamic reality
Annual workforce plans can’t keep pace with technology that changes by the quarter. Businesses need a more agile workforce strategy, built around what they need to deliver rather than a fixed annual headcount.
Jobs vs capabilities
Traditional job architecture isn’t changing as quickly as the work itself. Instead of starting with roles and job titles, businesses need to understand the capabilities they need and decide the best way to access them, whether that’s through people, AI, automation or a combination.
Reskilling: intention vs execution
Businesses know they need to close the AI skills gap, but reskilling isn’t happening quickly enough. Budgets exist, but uncertainty around which skills will actually be needed means too much training budget is still sitting unused.
The Blueprint explores what’s behind all three gaps, and how to start closing them.
What's inside the Blueprint?
Beyond Headcount moves from diagnosis to action, giving leaders a practical workforce strategy for navigating AI and building the workforce of the future.
Beyond Headcount
A new framework for workforce transformation built around four shifts: capacity, not headcount; accountability, not architecture; context, not tools; and capability, not credentials.
The Workforce Transformation Playbook
What good looks like in practice, from understanding your capability and AI skills gaps to choosing the right mix of people, AI and automation. It also explores the reskilling strategies businesses need as existing roles evolve.
2027 Readiness
A practical roadmap for what UK tech businesses need to do now, including how the Growth and Skills Levy could support the capabilities they’ll need next.
Meet the AI Workforce Council
There is plenty of theory about what AI might do to the workforce. We wanted to hear from the people making those decisions now.
La Fosse’s AI Workforce Council brings together senior leaders spanning technology, data, AI, procurement and business transformation to explore the questions businesses are grappling with, from AI accountability and capability gap analysis to hiring, reskilling and the future of entry-level talent.
Their insight sits at the heart of Beyond Headcount.
Your 2027 workforce won’t be built on a 2025 plan
AI isn’t waiting for the next annual planning cycle, and workforce planning can’t afford to stand still either.
The organisations best prepared for 2027 won’t be those trying to predict exactly what AI will look like by then. They’ll be the ones building the flexibility to respond as roles change, new capabilities emerge and the balance between people, AI and automation continues to shift.
Beyond Headcount gives you a practical framework for understanding your AI readiness, identifying the gaps in your workforce and making better decisions about the people, skills and capabilities you’ll need next.
Download the Blueprint to start planning your workforce for 2027.
The Growth and Skills Levy: what employers need to know
The Growth and Skills Levy has the potential to change how UK employers fund training and reskilling. But what is actually changing, and what could it mean for businesses trying to close their AI skills gap?
We look at the reform, what employers need to know and how levy funding could support the skills needed for an AI-enabled workforce.
Beyond the job description – how AI is changing what capability means at work
AI is changing the work inside roles faster than traditional job architecture can keep up.
So perhaps the better question isn’t “Who do we need to hire?” but “What work needs to be done, and what’s the best way to do it?”
We explore why skills-based hiring and capability are becoming more useful ways to think about the workforce, and what a skills-based organisation could look like in practice.
Beyond Headcount Live
The conversation doesn’t end with the Blueprint.
Join the AI Workforce Council in London on Wednesday 4 November 2026 for Beyond Headcount Live, where the Council will take questions directly and explore what AI workforce transformation means for businesses in practice.
Frequently asked questions
AI workforce transformation is the process of redesigning how work gets done as AI becomes part of the workforce. It means understanding which capabilities a business needs, where people add the most value and where AI or automation can support, augment or reshape the work.
An AI skills gap is the difference between the capabilities a business has today and those it needs to use AI effectively. It can include technical skills, AI literacy and human capabilities such as critical thinking, judgement and communication.
AI literacy is the ability to understand and use AI effectively and responsibly. For businesses, that goes beyond knowing how to use individual tools. Employees also need to understand their limitations, risks and where human judgement and accountability remain essential.
It's designed for UK business leaders planning their workforce for 2027 and beyond, particularly those responsible for technology, people, transformation, workforce strategy and AI adoption.
Yes. The Blueprint is free to download from La Fosse. You'll just need to provide your details to access it.
The AI Workforce Council is a group of ten senior leaders brought together by La Fosse to examine how businesses should plan, hire and build skills as AI changes the workforce.
Closing the gaps
Knowing where the gaps are is one thing. Closing them is another.
La Fosse works across the workforce transformation journey, helping organisations access the people, leadership, skills and delivery capability they need.
- La Fosse Recruitment supports skills-based hiring built around capability, curiosity and judgement.
- La Fosse Executive finds the senior leaders who can set the direction, build accountability and lead transformation.
- La Fosse Academy develops capability from within, including AI-enhanced apprenticeships designed to turn training investment into practical skills.
- Inovus by La Fosse provides complete teams and solutions where businesses need capability and outcomes, not simply another hire.
