As artificial intelligence changes the skills employers need and the way candidates enter the workforce, ManpowerGroup is putting skills development, AI adoption and technology governance at the center of its latest sustainability strategy. Its 2025–2026 sustainability report outlines how the staffing and workforce services company is combining digital tools with training and employment programs while setting measurable goals around emissions and responsible technology.
ManpowerGroup’s latest sustainability report offers a view into how a global workforce company is adapting its own operations as artificial intelligence reshapes recruitment and skills demand.
The company’s Working to Change the World: Human First, Digital Always report covers its 2025–2026 sustainability activities across three areas: People & Prosperity, Planet, and Principles of Governance. For HR technology leaders, the most relevant developments sit at the intersection of AI, skills development, workforce access and responsible technology governance.
One of the report’s clearest themes is the growing investment in skills infrastructure.
ManpowerGroup says its SmartStart initiative is working with organizations including SEMI, Arizona State University, Maricopa County Community College District and Junior Achievement to upskill 1 million people in the U.S. for opportunities connected to the semiconductor industry.
The company also reports that Manpower MyPath has grown to more than 332,000 participants and alumni, while Experis Academy has expanded to more than 6,000 participants across 12 European countries. Training covers technologies including SAP and AWS.
That approach reflects a broader change in workforce technology. Instead of treating skills as a static attribute attached to a job applicant, employers and workforce providers increasingly need systems that can identify gaps, recommend learning and connect newly acquired capabilities with actual employment opportunities.
AI Adoption Moves From Experiment to Workforce Practice
ManpowerGroup says 81% of its employees now use AI tools daily, accompanied by more than 30,000 employee engagements in AI learning.
The figures are based on the company’s internal reporting rather than an independent workforce benchmark, but they illustrate the scale at which AI adoption is becoming an operational issue for large employers.
Recruiting is another area where ManpowerGroup is experimenting with AI. The company says it conducted more than 25,000 AI-led interviews, with eight in 10 taking place outside traditional working hours.
Flexible interview availability could potentially reduce scheduling barriers for candidates who work irregular hours or have other constraints. At the same time, AI-led interviewing raises familiar questions around candidate experience, transparency, consistency and human oversight.
The report’s emphasis on governance suggests ManpowerGroup sees those questions as part of the technology deployment process rather than a separate compliance exercise.
Building Governance Around AI and Data
ManpowerGroup says it has evolved its Ethical AI Committee and introduced AIDA — AI, Data, Analytics and Innovation — as a governance framework for evaluating, testing and scaling emerging technologies.
For HR technology organizations, that governance layer is becoming increasingly important. AI systems can influence candidate screening, matching, interviewing, workforce planning and employee development, making decisions about data quality, oversight and accountability part of everyday HR operations.
The company is positioning its approach around using technology to augment human capability rather than simply replacing human work.
That distinction matters as staffing and recruiting organizations adopt increasingly automated workflows. The competitive question is no longer only whether a platform can automate a task, but whether automation produces better workforce outcomes without creating new barriers for candidates or employees.
Sustainability Extends Beyond AI
The report also covers ManpowerGroup’s environmental targets. The company reports a 24% reduction in total greenhouse gas emissions between 2019 and 2025 and says renewable electricity represented 44% of total electricity consumption.
On workforce access, ManpowerGroup reports that it has connected more than 60,000 refugees to work globally to date.
These initiatives place technology adoption within a broader corporate sustainability strategy rather than treating AI as an isolated digital transformation project.
For HR leaders, the report illustrates an increasingly interconnected workforce technology agenda: skills development, AI adoption, candidate access, employee learning and technology governance are becoming difficult to manage as separate programs.
As AI continues to alter job requirements, the organizations building the next generation of workforce infrastructure will need both digital systems and mechanisms for helping people adapt to them.
ManpowerGroup’s latest report frames that challenge through its “Human First, Digital Always” strategy. The longer-term test will be whether investments in AI, skills and governance translate into measurable improvements in workforce mobility and access to opportunity.
Market Landscape
The HR technology market is shifting from traditional recruiting and HR administration toward skills intelligence, AI-assisted talent acquisition, workforce upskilling and responsible AI governance.
Staffing firms are increasingly becoming technology providers as well as intermediaries between workers and employers. Platforms that can connect skills data with training, recruiting and workforce planning have an opportunity to influence the entire employment lifecycle.
At the same time, AI governance is becoming a core enterprise HR requirement. Organizations deploying AI in recruitment or employee workflows must consider data governance, human oversight, transparency, bias monitoring and candidate experience alongside productivity gains.
ManpowerGroup’s combination of skills programs, AI adoption and governance reflects this broader convergence between workforce services and HR technology.
Top Insights
- ManpowerGroup reports 81% daily employee AI usage, alongside more than 30,000 engagements in internal AI learning programs.
- Its AIDA framework brings AI, data, analytics and innovation governance together as emerging technology becomes embedded across workforce operations.
- Skills initiatives including SmartStart, MyPath and Experis Academy target growing demand for technology and semiconductor capabilities.
- More than 25,000 AI-led interviews demonstrate how automation is moving into recruiting, including candidate interactions outside traditional working hours.
- The report links workforce technology with broader sustainability priorities, including emissions reduction and expanded access to employment.
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