The global economy is changing faster than our labour systems. AI is transforming how work is done. Trade fragmentation is changing where work happens, and most countries are being hit by both at once. The real question is no longer whether disruption will happen, but whether labour markets are designed to function under it.
This January in Davos, at IHC House and alongside the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, Whiteshield, in collaboration with IHC and CEMS, The Global Alliance in Management Education, launched the Global Labour Resilience Index (GLRI) 2026: a new way of measuring how prepared countries are to absorb shocks, adapt quickly and transform for the future of work. The index covers 120 economies at a moment when labour markets sit squarely between two structural shocks, accelerating AI adoption and a fragmenting trading system.
Labour resilience as a strategic economic capability
The report's starting point is that labour resilience is no longer a social-policy afterthought. It is a strategic economic capability, as decisive for national competitiveness as infrastructure or energy security.
Diverging risk profiles
Economies face very different exposure under technology shocks versus trade shocks, and the index shows the two rarely travel together.
Alignment as the foundation of sustainable adjustment
The economies that adjust best are those where skills systems, labour-market institutions and industrial strategy pull in the same direction, alignment, not any single policy, is the foundation of sustainable adjustment.
Three priorities for leaders
- Build diversified, mobile workforces.
- Build institutions that enable rapid adjustment.
- Treat AI adoption as a workforce-transition initiative, not just a technology programme.
Day 3 at IHC House
Day 3 at IHC House in Davos brought together leaders from across sectors for a full day of dialogue, collaboration and engagement, with Manus Cranny of The National News taking us through the day.
The IHC delegation hosted a series of sessions with esteemed guests: a breakfast hosted by Ajay Bhatia, ADI Foundation Council Member and CEO of Sirius International Holding, with Mastercard CEO Michael Miebach and Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire, focused on innovating for growth; an AI for Good roundtable with Global Citizen CEO Hugh Evans; a Whiteshield event on labour resilience with IHC Chief Strategy & Growth Officer Peter Abraam; and a panel exploring AI as the next frontier of global growth, led by Aleria CEO Eric Leandri.
Beyond the discussions inside IHC House, the innovative technologies on display across the streets of Davos, from AI-driven solutions to next-generation mobility, offered a tangible reminder of how rapidly ideas are translating into real-world impact. With conversations spanning healthcare, finance, technology and policy, IHC House continues to serve as a convening space for meaningful global dialogue throughout the World Economic Forum.