Fuel50 Research: Skills Adoption Surges, But Internal Hiring and Pay Transparency Lag

Research shows high skills adoption rates, but uneven outcomes across internal hiring, compensation, and reskilling engagement.

LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA, UNITED STATES, March 4, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Fuel50, the award-winning Talent Intelligence platform, today released new research examining how organizations are translating skills-based strategies into measurable talent outcomes.

The survey of 272 HR and talent leaders - primarily from mid-market and enterprise organizations - finds that skills-based practices are now widespread. However, the data shows mixed results when it comes to internal mobility, skills-based pay transparency, and workforce participation in upskilling initiatives.

The study builds on Fuel50’s 2025 benchmark research, which focused on organizational confidence in skills strategies. This year’s findings shift the focus to execution and measurable outcomes.

The data indicates that skills-based work has moved beyond early adoption:
- 90%+ of organizations report using skills data in talent decisions, including hiring, mobility, learning, and compensation.
- 93.4% say they track outcomes related to skills-based practices.
- 74.3% report that skills factor into pay decisions.

While skills frameworks and measurement practices are broadly in place, outcome metrics vary significantly across organizations.

Internal mobility is often cited as a key objective of skills-based work. However, reported internal fill rates suggest uneven impact:
- 24.6% of organizations fill a majority (51–100%) of open roles with internal candidates.
- 37.9% fill less than 25% of roles internally.
- Only 4% report filling 76–100% of roles from within.

At the same time, many organizations report the ability to redeploy employees relatively quickly:
- 57.4% say they can redeploy employees into a new role or project within four weeks.
- 19.9% can do so in under two weeks.

Despite reported redeployment speed, most organizations continue to fill a majority of roles externally.

Although nearly three-quarters (74.3%) of respondents say skills factor into compensation decisions, fewer have formalized policies:
- Only 38.6% report having documented, employee-visible skills-based pay policies.
- The remainder rely primarily on manager discretion or informal guidelines.

This suggests variation in how skills-based compensation is applied across organizations and teams.

Reskilling and upskilling programs are widely offered, but participation levels vary:
- 68% of respondents say at least 25% of employees participated in upskilling or reskilling in the past 12 months.
- Approximately 34% report that more than half of employees engaged in learning programs.
- The remaining two-thirds report moderate or lower participation levels.

The data indicates that while learning opportunities are broadly available, high levels of workforce engagement are not yet universal.

“What this research shows is that skills-based practices are now embedded in most organizations,” said Anne Fulton, CEO and Founder of Fuel50. “The next phase is ensuring that these practices translate consistently into measurable outcomes such as higher internal mobility rates, transparent pay structures, and sustained workforce engagement in upskilling. The variation in results suggests that workforce intelligence and strategic skills system execution may be key differentiators between organizations seeing stronger outcomes and those still in transition.”

You can find Fuel50’s research report here.



Industry and Role Representation:
Survey respondents represent a broad cross-section of industries, including:
- Technology (23.5%)
- Healthcare and life sciences (22.4%)
- Manufacturing and industrial (18.8%)
- Financial services and insurance (18%)
- Energy and utilities (17.3%)

Respondents include:
- HR Business Partners (36.8%)
- Recruiting and Talent Acquisition leaders (25.4%)
- CHROs / VPs of People / HR leaders (22.4%)
- Leaders across People Analytics, HRIS, Compensation, L&D, and DEI


Methodology:
The Fuel50 Skills Survey analyzed responses from 272 HR and talent leaders:
- 97.1% based in North America; 2.9% in Europe
- 63.2% from organizations with 1,000–4,999 employees
- Remaining respondents from enterprises with 5,000+ employees




About Fuel50

Fuel50 is the award‑winning, AI-driven Talent Intelligence platform that helps organizations unlock internal mobility, future-proof critical skills, and deliver more equitable, transparent career experiences for every employee. By connecting real-time skills data with opportunities, learning, and workforce planning, Fuel50 enables HR and business leaders to mobilize talent faster, improve retention, and align their workforce with the future of work.

To learn more about the Fuel50 Research or to request a briefing, please contact press@fuel50.com or visit www.fuel50.com.

Ashley Levesque
Fuel50
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