Business Recovery at Risk: Organizations cut upskilling opportunities amid growing demand for new skills mid-pandemic

New Delhi [India], December 3 (ANI/NewsVoir): Degreed, the leading workforce upskilling platform, has uncovered that business investment in developing skills has not kept up with the growing demand for new skills during the pandemic.
Surveying 5,000 workers in eight global markets, The State of Skills: Endangered Skills 2021 (stateofskills.degreed.com/?utm_source=PRSS-RSR-PANCommunications-DSA-RPRT-stateofskillsreport--11_2020) highlights the skills now most at risk of becoming obsolete and the sectors, countries and job roles most in danger. The report is designed to help businesses target upskilling investments at the areas most likely to positively impact their organisations and employees.
The current economic uncertainty resulting from the coronavirus crisis is accelerating demand for new skills among 60 per cent of workers. Yet, nearly half of businesses (46 per cent) have reduced their upskilling opportunities in the past six months. In India, the number is the highest amongst the countries surveyed (72 per cent).
The result is a widening global skills gap: over a third (38 per cent) of workers feel less confident they have the skills to do their job effectively, compared to pre-pandemic, and nearly half (46 per cent) predict their current skills will die out in the next 3-5 years. For Indian workers, this is as high as 73 per cent.
Employees report this is increasing stress levels, and reducing their productivity and performance, which, in turn, hurts businesses.
When skills confidence is low, over half of workers (55 per cent) feel more stressed, but also find that tasks take longer to complete (41 per cent) and work is of a lower standard (22 per cent). Nearly half (46 per cent) of global workers also say they are likely to leave their employer if there are no upskilling opportunities.
The report is the first to reveal the specific countries, sectors and job roles where skills are most endangered:
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skills in technology and telecoms, finance, and engineering are most at risk
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workers in India, France, and Brazil are the top three countries are most at risk of skills mismatch
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those in IT and HR jobs have the most endangered skills
"The businesses that survive and flourish following the crisis will be different than they were before. This means workers are having to sharpen their current skills and build new ones to meet changing demand. Yet just as upskilling became vital to economic recovery, most organizations have cut investment in learning and development opportunities. We already know the global skills gap is costing trillions of dollars in lost GDP. Not to mention the impact on employee wellbeing," said Chris McCarthy, CEO at Degreed.
"Despite the urgent need to upskill, businesses can't make informed decisions as they don't have the data they need. Up-to-date information on the workforce's skills, if it exists at all, is often spread across multiple outdated HR systems used once or twice a year for things like compensation and benefits. Without this data, businesses can't make smart decisions about the skills they need for growth, and even if these can be sourced from existing workers within their organisation or need to be learned. By understanding the complete picture of your organisation's existing skills and targeting your energy and investment where there are the biggest risks, you'll have a clear focus for the road ahead, improving your odds of success - and your people's too," Chris McCarthy added.
To read the full report please visit stateofskills.degreed.com/?utm_source=PRSS-RSR-PANCommunications-DSA-RPRT-stateofskillsreport--11_2020 or contact degreed@creativecrest.com.


Degreed commissioned independent market research company, Censuswide, to survey 5,208 workers in the UK, US, India, Australia, Germany, France, Mexico and Brazil between 4th and 12th August 2020.
Degreed is the workforce upskilling platform for one in three Fortune 50 companies. We connect all your learning, talent development, and internal mobility opportunities to intelligence on the skills your business needs next. And we do it all in one simple, fluid, skill-building experience that's powered by your people's expertise and interests.
So you can transform your workforce from within. Founded in 2012, Degreed is headquartered in Pleasanton, California, with additional offices in Salt Lake City, New York, London, Amsterdam, and Brisbane.
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