UK businesses falling behind in the AI economy amid ‘perfect storm’ of skills challenges, Hexaware warns

Oh, how utterly predictable. The UK, that proud nation of tinkering and industrial revolution, is now being told by Hexaware that it's 'falling behind in the AI economy.' Because nothing says 'we've got this' like a 'perfect storm of skills challenges.' Hays' 2026 UK trends report, bless its data-driven heart, reveals that nearly half of businesses — 47% to be precise — face moderate or extreme AI skills shortages. That's not a skills gap; that's a skills chasm with 'Brexit' etched on one side and 'chronic underinvestment in education' on the other.

And what's the grand British plan? Well, judging by the article's breathless tone, we're supposed to wring our hands and hope that Hexaware's warning sparks a 'call to action' — which in Westminster usually means a taskforce, a review, and a photocopied strategy gathering dust in a drawer. Meanwhile, other economies are actually training their workforces. The US has its CHIPS Act and AI bootcamps; Singapore has its SkillsFuture. The UK has... a report saying we're behind. Jolly good.

Let's not forget the sheer comedy of Hexaware — a global IT firm — being the one to sound the alarm. It's like a lifeguard warning you that you're drowning while standing on your head. The skills shortage is real, but the response is so painfully British: acknowledge the problem politely, commission a white paper, and then stare at the closing door as the AI train departs. Cheerio, then. Maybe we can export our world-class bureaucracy instead.