Boston Leaders Prioritize AI Upskilling and Workforce Strategies, KPMG Finds

Nearly all Boston business leaders surveyed by KPMG reported active AI programs: 98% said they are providing AI education and training, and 91% said they are investing in upskilling current employees specifically to reduce external hiring needs, the firm reported. The survey also found 90% of respondents rank AI among their top investment priorities despite economic uncertainty.

KPMG LLP (U.S. member firm) released "KPMG 2026 Perspectives: Local Insights from Boston" on February 17, 2026. The study sampled 81 Boston‑area business leaders; 60.5% of respondents were C‑suite, all participants were at VP level and above, and each represented a company with annual revenues of more than $50 million.

The report frames the Boston picture with a set of headline findings presented verbatim in the release: "Boston’s strategic shift favors AI adoption and workforce upskilling," "Heavy Focus on AI Upskilling to Reduce External Hiring Needs," "Majority Seeking to Grow Their Real Estate Footprint," "Nearly Half Seeking to Pursue Acquisitions with Focus on First Half of 2026," and "Tariffs Shifting Customer Demand and Leading to Increased Sales."

John Capone, KPMG’s Boston Managing Partner, summarized the local trend in the release: "Boston’s leaders are advancing innovation with a people‑first mindset. AI adoption and workforce upskilling are moving in tandem, while hiring and commercial real estate plans are being calibrated for efficiency. At the same time, businesses are navigating tariffs and economic uncertainty with strategies to sustain growth."

Beyond talent and AI, the survey flagged real estate and M&A as active levers: the report notes a majority of respondents said they are seeking to grow their real estate footprint, and nearly half are seeking acquisitions with a focus on the first half of 2026. The release also links tariff dynamics to shifting customer demand and increased sales, though it does not quantify which sectors are driving that effect.

KPMG’s Boston office context underscores the local reach of the study: the office serves as a Northeast hub with nearly 2,000 professionals across audit, tax, and advisory, supporting large regional companies in financial services, healthcare, life sciences, higher education, and consumer markets. KPMG and the Massachusetts Business Roundtable materials stress that preserving Massachusetts’ innovation standing requires "robust funding for basic research, welcoming environments for global talent, affordability in areas such as housing and childcare, regulatory efficiency, and access to capital at all development stages."

KPMG’s broader research agenda echoes the local findings. The KPMG Global Tech Report 2026 frames an "Intelligence Age" and profiles high performers on tech maturity, process maturity, and digital value; the global assets include Zack Kass’s observation that "We are entering a period of unmetered intelligence: Abundant cognitive capacity at near‑zero marginal cost that can be composed into agents, copilots, and autonomous workflows."

Sector commentary tied to the Boston market appears in a related KPMG guest contribution by Alasdair Milton, PhD, dated February 18, 2026, which described biopharma as "an industry at an inflection point, one with significant growth potential but facing unprecedented challenges to the innovation ecosystem that has made Massachusetts a leading global biotech hub."

Industry reaction on social channels ahead of the 2026 J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference reflected the same themes: a LinkedIn post cited in the materials reads, "From fragmented insights to connected intelligence. From manual due diligence to AI‑enabled decision making. From point solutions to true orchestration across the value chain," and a commenter labeled "sneha k, graphic" called the piece "Thought‑provoking insights."

With 98% running AI training, 91% prioritizing internal upskilling to reduce external hires, and nearly half planning acquisitions in H1 2026, Boston executives in KPMG’s study are explicitly aligning talent, real estate, and deal strategies to sustain growth in an AI‑driven economy.