Research: The state of upskilling and reskilling in 2024
New research by TalentLMS and Workable zooms in on upskilling and reskilling initiatives in US companies. The report features 10 data-backed tactics to amp up your skilling initiatives.
Continuous learning on the rise: 71% of employees seek more frequent skill updates. Additionally, 80% want companies to invest more in upskilling and reskilling.
Key takeaways
Hitting the spot
71% of employees are satisfied with the upskilling and reskilling training.
Learning with purpose
77% agree that learning new skills gives them a sense of purpose.
AI adoption
39% use AI skills in their role, while half say AI would benefit their job.
Industry experts featured in the report
Meghan M. Biro
Founder and CEO at TalentCulture
Dr. Heidi Kirby
Co-founder and L&D Consultant at Useful Stuff
Mike Cooke
Chairman and CEO at Brandon Hall Group
Dr. Nicole Papaioannou Lugara
Founder & Learning Strategist at Your Instructional Designer
Dan Dowling
L&D expert at Workable
More research highlights
Upskilling and reskilling roadblocks
Nearly a quarter of employees face obstacles with upskilling and reskilling. The key roadblocks are limited time, difficulty balancing training with work, and limited skill variety.
Training offerings fall short on skill variety
Overall, the majority of employees are satisfied with the variety of offered skills. However, 2 in 10 are dissatisfied. And skill variety is one of the top 3 obstacles to successful learning initiatives.
Research tidbits: Motivation, job security, and satisfaction shift
What motivates employees to learn?
Across all age groups, the primary motivator for pursuing upskilling and reskilling training is the same: Aspiration for personal growth.
Unease about the half-life of skills
37% of employees worry that their skills will become obsolete in the future. But for 64%, upskilling and reskilling enhance their job security.
A slight dip in satisfaction over time
Although still high, the satisfaction rate for upskilling and reskilling programs shows a declining trend. From 78% in 2020, it dropped to 71% in 2024.
Research tidbits: Generational gaps indicated by survey data
Age affects satisfaction
Satisfaction with upskilling and reskilling programs appears to grow with age. It peaks at 77% for employees over 54 years old and bottoms out at 54% among the youngest group — Gen Z employees.
Gen Z’s needs unmet
2 in 10 Gen Z employees report that their manager doesn’t understand their skill development needs. They also face more challenges in upskilling and reskilling programs compared to other age groups.
Gen Z puts in more hours
Gen Z seems to invest more personal time in upskilling and reskilling compared to other generations: 29% complete their training outside of work hours, a far higher figure than any other age group.
Download the full-scale report
Upskilling and reskilling are key to driving organizational success. Use the data and takeaways from the report to supercharge your initiatives.
Dive deeper into original research by TalentLMS
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