Global Study Reveals Flexibility and Financial Wellness Are Top 2026 Priorities for Frontline Workers

Flexibility, financial wellness, and having a say in work-life balance are the most pressing issues for frontline workers worldwide, according to a 10-country survey from UKG, a leading global AI platform unifying HR, pay, and workforce management.

Flexibility, financial wellness, and having a say in work-life balance are the most pressing issues for frontline workers worldwide, according to a 10-country survey from UKG.

Frontline workers — those who must be present to do their jobs, build products, or serve customers, patients, students, or residents — make up nearly 80% of the global workforce¹. UKG found that 76% of frontline employees reported burnout in 2025, as discussions about work-life balance and the employee experience often overlook this group, leading to almost half of frontline employees (47%) reporting that there are two separate cultures in their organization: one for frontline employees and one for everyone else.

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UKG’s second-annual global frontline workers study, More Perspectives from the Frontline Workforce: A UKG Global Study on AI and the Employee Experience, compared what 8,200 frontline workers across retail, hospitality and food service, healthcare, logistics and distribution, manufacturing, public sector, and field and contract services value most in their jobs — from flexibility and financial stability to recognition and career growth. The report found the top five reasons frontline employees would quit their jobs:

1. Financial strain persists: While fewer employees claim they live paycheck to paycheck than in 2024 (56% in 2025 vs. 64% in 2024), low pay remains the top reason for quitting.
   • Just over half of frontline employees (51%) in non-acute healthcare systems (e.g., clinics, outpatient services, dentistry), report that low pay is the top reason they’d quit their job. Forty-four percent of frontline employees in acute healthcare systems and 38% in long-term/aged care would leave their jobs for the same reason.
2. Flexibility is critical: After pay, work schedule flexibility is the second most important factor influencing whether employees stay or leave their jobs. Half (50%) say it’s difficult to change shifts when a personal issue arises at the last minute, and 57% can’t take as much time off as they’d like.
   • Fifty-eight percent of hospitality frontline employees feel as though their schedules make it impossible to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
3. Lack of career advancement: Twenty-eight percent say that there are not enough opportunities to move up in their current organization.
   • Thirty-two percent of government employees and 22% of education employees say there isn’t an opportunity to get promoted.
4. Retention drivers beyond pay and schedule flexibility are important: Employees cite a lack of recognition or rewards and lack of benefits (both 26%) are drivers in leaving their roles.
   • Specifically in the retail industry, 29% of frontline employees say there is a lack of benefits and 27% report they lack recognition or rewards for their efforts.
5. Lack of opportunities to learn new skills: As upskilling and reskilling conversations dominate HR conversations, 20% of frontline employees report that there aren’t enough opportunities to learn new skills.
   • Thirty-six percent of manufacturing frontline employees say that they’re learning new skills, including AI skills, to prove their worth to their employer so they won’t be replaced by AI.

“Frontline workers are shaping the customer experience, delivering the goods we want, and providing the services we need that make the world’s economy run,” said Rachel Barger, President, Go-to-Market at UKG. “Knowing the underlying pain points frontline employees are facing, such as lack of flexibility and visibility of work schedules, challenges building skills needed for advancement, and general financial strain are crucial to understand. This understanding supports leaders to improve employee engagement and retention by knowing where to step in to provide support, and where technology can help ease some of the burdens.”

To support the frontline workforce, AI-led technology can take the burden off employees for processes, including scheduling, shift swapping, and on-demand access to wages, while mobile-first technology that better connects frontline employees with peers, leaders, and teams foster a greater sense of belonging. UKG’s Workforce Operating Platform supports frontline workforces with specific solutions such as:

• UKG’s Frontline Worker Network, which anticipates the needs of frontline employees and delivers personalized guidance, advice, and incentives with collaborators including Chime, TurboTax, and OnePay.
• UKG® Advanced Scheduling, which recommends the best-fit people for each shift based on availability, skills, and compliance.
• UKG Talk®, which provides frontline employees an easy way to connect and communicate with their teams, leaders, and others in the organization.
• UKG Talent Marketplace, which features three essential components to serve frontline employees with new career opportunities while filling critical labor gaps for organizations.

“Contrary to many fears, this research shows that AI can play a crucial role giving frontline workers flexibility, agency, and financial security at work,” said Josh Bersin, Founder and CEO of The Josh Bersin Company. “When implemented well, AI gives frontline workers better information, flexibility, and power over their daily work and financial lives.”

These frontline employee findings are crucial to understanding as leaders also address the trends that UKG found will reshape the workforce in 2026, including: The People-First AI Imperative; The Talent Ecosystem Reality; and The Employee Enablement Era.

UKG’s earlier analysis focused on AI’s potential to reduce burnout among frontline workers. A broader look at the data reveals equally important human factors shaping the frontline experience — from pay and scheduling autonomy to career growth and work-life balance.

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