The human skills imperative in financial services: what the FSSC research demands from L&D leaders
Financial services is the sector most exposed to AI of any industry in the UK economy. The Financial Services Skills Commission's 2025 research is explicit about what that means: only 0.5% to 1.5% of the workforce needs specialist AI skills. For the remaining 85-90%, AI is intensifying demand for the human capabilities they already have: communication, judgement, adaptability and relationship management.
This whitepaper draws on the FSSC's research and Future Talent Learning's financial services programme suite to show what that means for how HR Directors and L&D leaders should be investing their workforce development budgets and levy funds.
Download the whitepaper to see why the FSSC's own conclusion is that behaviours — not technical AI skills alone — will unlock the sector's AI potential.
What you'll find inside
- Why financial services organisations face a different AI challenge to those in any other UK sector
- The FSSC's three-tier skills framework, and why most training strategies target the wrong tier
- How AI is reshaping specific FS roles, from analysts to directors to HR
- Why AI training provision is falling short of what the skills gap demands
- An integrated capability framework aligned to the new Skills England standard
- Practical recommendations for mapping needs and using the levy strategically
Who should read this report?
HR Directors, L&D leaders and People Directors in financial services responsible for AI upskilling, levy strategy, or building workforce capability.
