Employers race to hire AI-native workers as manager gap grows

Nearly half of companies are actively recruiting AI-fluent workers, but fewer than 1 in 6 workers call themselves AI natives. Second Talent says the bigger problem may be after the hire: many managers are not ready to lead AI-heavy teams.

Why it matters: - Companies are trying to staff up for AI faster than most workers are preparing for those jobs. - The mismatch could slow productivity if employers can hire AI-fluent talent but cannot manage or train them effectively. - AI skills are becoming more valuable across more roles, not just in technical teams.

What happened: - Indeed and YouGov surveyed more than 1,300 people in the U.S. in May, splitting responses between job seekers and hiring decision-makers at companies with 500 or more employees. - 59% of employers said hiring AI natives in the next year is essential or important. - 45% said they are actively recruiting for AI-native talent now. - 31% expect AI fluency to be required for most or nearly all roles within two years. - Fewer than 1 in 6 workers described themselves as AI native.

The details: - Employers expect workers to use AI two to three times more than workers say they are comfortable with. - 41% of employers expect staff to build or manage AI agents, while 14% of workers say they are comfortable doing that. - 41% of employers expect employees to develop or customize AI tools, while 13% of workers say they are ready to try. - 52% of workers overall said they are not getting the AI training they need. - 77% of self-identified AI natives said they are getting adequate training. - Elton Chan, co-founder and CEO of Second Talent, said many companies are misreading the problem as a sourcing issue rather than a definition issue. - Chan said many roles labeled AI-native do not require someone who lives inside AI tools all day, but rather someone comfortable enough to stop doing things the old way.

Between the lines: - Managers may be the bottleneck, not just recruiters. - 45% of managers said they feel equipped to lead AI-native talent, while 43% said they do not. - Among managers already leading AI-native employees, nearly 9 in 10 said they feel ready for it. - 48% of managers currently leading AI-native talent said their direct reports outskill them in this area, compared with 26% of managers overall. - Chan said companies hiring AI-native workers without planning for supervision are likely to lose value after the hire. - The broader market data points in the same direction: PwC's 2026 Global AI Jobs Barometer found AI-skilled workers command a 62% global wage premium, up from 57% last year. - PwC also found AI specialist hiring grew eight times faster than overall hiring in 2025. - The skills required for the most AI-exposed roles are changing more than twice as fast as for the least exposed roles, and that gap widened 75% in a year.

What's next: - Chan says companies building 2027 headcount plans should treat AI-native hiring as a management issue, not just a recruiting line item. - He said employers need to budget for manager training alongside the hire. - The immediate test for companies will be whether they can turn AI-native hiring into measurable output, not just filled seats.

The bottom line: - Employers want AI-native workers now, but many teams are not set up to lead them, train them or capture the productivity gains they are hiring for. - More information: Second Talent