What’s Shaping Benefits in 2026

Increasing Cost Pressures and Resource Constraints
Across regions, organizations continue to face affordability and accessibility challenges, particularly in healthcare. HR and benefits teams remain stretched thin, managing heightened expectations with fewer resources. The pressure to maintain competitive benefits while controlling costs is also intensifying, forcing benefits leaders to make sharper, faster decisions with limited time and data.

As a result, many organizations are prioritizing optimization—extracting more value from existing programs—rather than introducing new offerings.

Strategic Preparedness in an Uncertain Market
Economic and political uncertainty continues to influence benefits decision-making globally.  In many organizations, uncertainty has led to stalled initiatives, delayed decisions, or a ‘wait and see’ mindset. But in today’s environment, inaction is increasingly risky. Inflation and cost escalation won’t pause while organizations deliberate.
A key message emerging from conversations with global benefits leaders is clear: proactive action is essential, not optional. Waiting for stability can leave organizations further behind as pressures compound.

One example is the anticipated resurgence of M&A activity. While volumes may fluctuate, organizations need to be prepared for potential deals at any time. Doing so requires maintaining accurate, up-to-date plan information and data—well before a transaction appears on the horizon. This readiness enables informed decisions, mitigates risk, and improves outcomes during periods of change.

The Acceleration of AI and Technology in Benefits
AI has moved from an aspirational concept to a practical reality for many organizations. Real, implementable solutions are now available and gaining traction.

For HR teams AI is becoming an operational enabler. It reduces administrative burden, supports more efficient decision-making, and provides visibility across plans and programs that was previously difficult to achieve. Organizations can use AI to identify gaps, respond more quickly to issues, and focus on high-impact priorities such as the employee experience.

For multinational organizations, the impact is even more significant. AI can standardize disparate datasets, translate multiple languages, digest numerous documents, and create universally structured, reliable information. This dramatically improves plan visibility, team productivity, and enhances the ability to build the data foundations needed for informed planning, including targeted cost management initiatives.

While questions remain around AI maturity, long-term risk, and the possibility of an ‘AI bubble’, the expectation from leadership and investors is clear: HR leaders must take action rather than be reactive. The cost, governance and efficiency pressures organizations face make AI adoption increasingly a requirement, not a luxury.

Key Priorities for 2026 Benefits Leaders

Doing More With Less

We expect organizations to search harder for ways to optimize plans globally and find savings, either to improve the bottom line or reinvest in their employees.  Healthcare remains a key differentiator in the battle for talent, even as affordability challenges persist. The need to balance cost control with competitive offerings has never been more pressing.

Resource optimization continues to be a central theme for benefits leaders. With rising costs and limited budgets, organizations are re-examining program value and seeking opportunities to improve efficiency without compromising employee support.

Governance, Risk Management, and Operational Excellence
Sound governance has become more important—and more challenging. Leaner teams are responsible for broader scopes of work, making consistent processes, reliable data, and clear decision frameworks essential. Strong governance supports both organizational resilience and employee well-being. It also enables faster, more confident action in a volatile environment.

Innovation With Purpose
Interest in AI and automation is growing rapidly, but organizations should remain focused on purposeful, responsible adoption. Benefits leaders are evaluating tools not just for innovation’s sake, but for their ability to reduce complexity and administrative load.

By reducing human error, improving consistency, and minimizing oversight risks, AI helps create a foundation of reliable information. While trust in AI varies, we expect its adoption curve to mirror that of the internet and other more recent transformational technologies—initial uncertainty followed by widespread acceptance and integration. The challenge ahead is the current speed of AI efficiency and balancing modernization with responsible governance, ensuring that tools enhance, rather than complicate, the benefits landscape.

What This Year’s Survey Will Explore
The 2026 Global Benefits Forecast Survey will gather perspectives on:

• Cost pressures and resource constraints
• Technology and AI adoption
• Governance and operational challenges
• Strategic readiness, including M&A activity
• Evolving workforce and organizational needs

While many of last year’s challenges persist, the rapid emergence of AI and related technologies represent a major shift in how organizations can adapt. As these tools accelerate, a growing challenge will be adoption itself—training teams, integrating workflows, and ensuring strong governance frameworks.

The survey will offer organizations the opportunity to benchmark against peers, identify emerging trends, and gain insights to support more informed decision-making in an increasingly complex environment.

We invite organizations to take part in the free 2026 Global Benefits Forecast Survey. Participation offers an opportunity to validate strategies, explore new approaches, and prepare for the year ahead with greater confidence.