HR Jobs and AI: Is the HR Function Immune to Change?
HR professionals anticipate a deep transformation of jobs by AI, but less so for their own.
According to the 1st Barometer of AI in HR in Canada (NexaRH and Parlons RH, 2026), 72% expect IT jobs to be largely transformed within three to five years, compared with only 30% for HR jobs. This chapter also analyzes budget outlooks for 2026.
Key figures: HR jobs and AI
81% state that AI will continue to transform the HR function.
27% feel HR jobs have already been significantly, or even totally, transformed; 10% not at all.
72% expect IT jobs to be largely transformed within three to five years.
66% for marketing and communications, 60% for accounting and finance.
Jobs seen as least affected: management (17%), production (29%) and HR (30%).
Most respondents understand that AI will transform the jobs they consider to already be affected. However, while transformation will inevitably continue for HR, respondents suggest its intensity will be more subdued.
Realism or idealism? The assumption that Humans are at the heart of professions in management, sales, customer relations and HR does not provide immunity from the intensity of ongoing transformations. Even meta-skills such as empathic listening, coaching, situational management, and counseling are widely demonstrated and even highly valued by employees.
5.1 From human control to intelligent orchestration
The rapid advances in AI agents and protocols for sharing contextual data (e.g., MCP connectors) will, starting in 2026, push HR to apply their critical skills: redesign the employee experience (EX) using automated and contextualized workflows, combine human capabilities and AI agent capacities on automatable tasks to design tasks and processes that integrate human and machine work.
While there is a significant challenge ahead, the accelerating technology curve requires ongoing monitoring of technological impacts, competition, organizational structures, professions and skills, as well as emerging careers.
5.2 The most transformed professions in the medium term
The upcoming transformation of jobs and skills seems to affect support functions more than management, production, or HR.
Only 30% believe the HR function will be largely transformed within three to five years, while a majority, 62% of respondents, indicate that HR professions will be moderately transformed.
The jobs least affected by transformation are production (27% minimally transformed), management (21%), and sales (18%).
Nevertheless, all corporate support functions are impacted by the disruption caused by AI, which already constitutes a transformation support initiative for HR.
Interview: Patrice Poirier, CEO, SIGMA-RH
“AI must operate in a secure and compliant environment.”
Which HRIS-related AI use cases deliver measurable value to HR?
Without a doubt, the use cases that deliver measurable value are those that improve operational efficiency. The gains are immediate: automated data entry, file analysis, preparation of summaries, and tasks that are completed more quickly, with a clear reduction in processing times.
But for that value to be true, AI must operate in a secure and compliant environment. When it is integrated directly into an HRIS, that framework is already in place: sensitive data is protected, AI actions can be verified, and access is controlled. This allows HR teams to use AI while meeting their obligations and maintaining full control over what happens in the system.
This is also what differentiates internal AI from public tools: only a private AI can operate within an ecosystem that aligns with the legal responsibilities, governance frameworks, and security requirements HR teams must uphold.
What barriers need to be removed for HR teams to fully adopt and benefit from AI within an HRIS?
The main barrier to AI adoption in HR is the gap between what organizations think is happening… and what is actually happening. While leaders are still working on their “AI strategy,” teams are already using free tools to work faster. This is what we call shadow AI. It appears in no deployment plan, yet it spreads everywhere: emails, meeting notes, data analysis. And it creates a gap that organizations often notice only when it’s too late.
The issue is that this silent adoption fragments practices, bypasses governance, and exposes the organization to risks it can no longer control.
The real challenge, therefore, isn’t integrating an AI tool into an HRIS. It’s aligning everyone on the same path, explaining what AI truly changes, supporting teams, reducing uncertainty. Without a clear framework, the organization moves forward in disconnected pieces.
When everyone uses the same AI, in the same place, under the same rules, something shifts. AI stops being a set of isolated initiatives and becomes a collective engine.
What evolution scenarios do you anticipate for the HR function by 2030?
By 2030, the HR function in Canada will shift its role. It will no longer be there solely to support change; it will be at the center of the transformation. Reskilling will become a continuous movement. And it has already begun: a global IBM study published in 2023 showed that 40% of employees will need to be reskilled by 2026.
Jobs will not disappear massively: they will mostly change in nature. Repetitive tasks will be automated, and human work will refocus on interpretation, quality, and judgment. HR teams will need to read signals, understand models, detect drift, and ensure fairness in a world where AI will handle part of the operational workload.
Organizations will need teams capable of developing, adjusting, and guiding skills continuously. Learning will no longer be an event, it will be an ongoing flow.
5.3 What investments are necessary to stay in the race?
The majority of respondents indicate stable budgets for HR technologies and AI in HR. However, more than one-third report an increase in these technology budgets. While the economic context calls for caution, technologies serve as a lever for productivity and the modernization of HR offerings. The rapid innovation landscape also helps stimulate demand.
The trend is similar regarding skills development related to HR technologies and AI. Half maintain their budgets for skills development support, while one-third are increasing them. With 44% of respondents indicating budget increases, the rise is more pronounced for employee skills development in AI.
Given the findings on shadow AI and the expectations of HR professionals, these budget outlooks are welcome. It is noted that several respondents report their organizations plan to acquire generative AI licenses for professionals. Corporate use is often accompanied by internal training.
A word from HR: Philippe de Villers, Chairperson of the Board, CRHA Canada
The human resources function reflects the evolution of society over the past two decades: it has been shaken by numerous changes that have significantly impacted its daily activities. However, I sincerely believe that the changes experienced during those years are marginal compared to what is coming with the rapid emergence of various artificial intelligence tools, particularly generative AI.
In this regard, I am concerned that only 30% of HR professionals believe their function will be largely transformed. Based on conversations I’ve had with many of them, I think this stems from a widespread belief that “people will always prefer to work with a human rather than a machine” or “a machine will never provide an emotional response to a human.” Allow me to challenge these statements. Like any change, there will be an adoption curve, and before long, I am convinced that large parts of the current HR service offering will be replaced by various AI technologies.
I see the future of our profession more in guiding major organizational transformations: HR professionals know these changes best! They are the best positioned to ensure that humans perform the right activities and that the integration of various technologies happens smoothly. Consequently, greater involvement in companies’ strategic planning is also foreseeable.
Let’s make sure we stay in the driver’s seat, and not the passenger’s, when introducing these transformational societal changes!
Expert insights: Mathieu Barreau, Senior Director, Business, Communication and Partnerships, Montreal Computer Research Centre (CRIM)
Adoption without a truly structuring strategy.
Artificial intelligence is, first and foremost, a strategic topic, long before it becomes a tools issue. Without a clear and shared vision, organizations quickly drift toward opportunistic adoption: experimenting with solutions as opportunities arise, without direction, prioritization, or governance. The “LLM vs. ML” polarization illustrates this pitfall well. The issue is not about choosing a technology family, but about selecting genuinely actionable use cases, defining success criteria, and demonstrating value, particularly ROI.
This technology-centric approach is typical of an early maturity stage. It increases the risk of deploying solutions that are misaligned with business needs, underestimating prerequisites such as data quality, compliance, integration, and change management, and ultimately failing to deliver expected outcomes.
From this perspective, technology selection should not be an HR priority at the forefront. The critical role lies instead in clarifying the problems to be solved, the processes to be transformed, the conditions of use, and the performance indicators. The fact that expected benefits are largely concentrated on automating repetitive tasks confirms a still-limited level of maturity, focused more on local optimization than on structural transformation.
Moreover, when a significant number of respondents perceive deployment as difficult, it signals a shift toward operational reality. Once organizations move from intent to execution, complexity becomes evident, including integration, accountability, and process trade-offs, particularly in mid-sized and large organizations.
Finally, the budget outlook for 2026 suggests a cautious adoption trajectory: largely stable budgets, modest increases, and priorities oriented toward AI “for employees” such as training and adoption rather than AI specifically for HR. This appears to be a logical normalization phase, strengthening human foundations and reducing risk before scaling deployment.
The 7 parts of the AI in HR Barometer 2026
Chapter 5. Is the HR function immune to transformation? (you are here)
Frequently asked questions
Will AI transform HR jobs?
81% of respondents to the 2026 AI in HR Barometer believe AI will keep transforming the HR function. Yet only 30% expect HR jobs to be largely transformed within three to five years.
Which jobs will AI transform most, according to HR?
IT (72%), marketing and communications (66%), then accounting and finance (60%). Management (17%) and production (29%) are seen as the least exposed.
Are AI budgets in HR increasing in 2026?
For 2026, 51% of organizations plan a stable budget for HR technology and AI, 40% an increase and 10% a decrease. Priorities lean towards developing employees' AI skills.
Source and methodology
Source: 1st Barometer of AI in HR in Canada, 2026 edition, published by NexaRH in collaboration with Parlons RH. Pan-Canadian online survey conducted from October 1 to November 30, 2025 among 336 respondents (80% HR professionals within organizations, 20% HR service providers), in French and English, complemented by a discussion workshop with HR vice-presidents on November 12, 2025.
Read the full overview: 1st Barometer of AI in HR in Canada 2026.
Next chapter: AI roadmap for HR: paradoxes and action points.
How to cite this barometer
NexaRH and Parlons RH (2026). 1st Barometer of AI in HR in Canada, 2026 edition. Survey of 336 HR professionals, October and November 2025. Available at: www.nexarh.com/en/post/ai-hr-barometer-canada-2026
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