Organisations are placing a lot of emphasis on improving the skillsets of employees as the nature of work is changing. Companies are taking care to embed a culture of learning so that the process is continuous.

According to LinkedIn’s recent Workplace Learning Report, 94% of companies that took part in the survey said it plans to enhance employees’ skills in 2024. The survey was conducted by Censuswide with a sample of about 4,323 hiring managers (middle management) aged 18-77 years in countries such as the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the USA, India, Australia, Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, China, the Netherlands, Sweden, MENA and Brazil. The data was collected between the middle of December and early January 2024.

The key insights of the report were that along with upskilling, aligning the learning programmes to business goals and creating a learning culture remain the focus areas for professions in the learning and development (L&D) industry.

The underlying reasons are clear: in the face of ongoing AI and automation, 98% of the employers have felt the need for significant shifts in the skills of the employees. Meanwhile, about half of the hiring managers said they are prioritising internal mobility to enable better career advancement opportunities for employees.

What does this mean in terms of skills?

Apart from core technology skills, the report said that 91% of the L&D professionals identify soft skills as critical. Communication was the most in-demand skill across APAC countries, including in India. As with other studies, problem-solving and critical thinking are other high-demand skills as people try to make sense of the current transformational shifts in work. These are considered the most important in the era of AI.

Clarifying this trend, Ruchee Anand, Senior Director-Talent, Learning and Engagement Solutions, LinkedIn India, says, “Last year, we saw a 21x surge in job postings mentioning ChatGPT or GPT on LinkedIn, reflecting the growing demand for tech skills as businesses explored AI. This year, we are seeing a pronounced shift towards skills — both technical and soft skills — to thrive in the era of AI.”Further, Anand added, “With skills for jobs globally expected to change 68% by 2030, we are seeing a greater emphasis on learning both technical and soft skills with a majority of employers surveyed agreeing that this balance will be critical for organisations to succeed in the age of AI.”

Building a culture of continuous learning

In terms of specific actions, companies are looking at online training and development programmes (53%) as well as hands-on experimentation with generative AI tools (54%).

This ongoing focus can also help show outcomes. As many as 96% of L&D professionals in India said that they believe they can show business value by helping employees gain skills to move into different internal roles; 48% of the hiring managers said that they believe “helping employees build the skills needed for the future of work” (38%) and “providing competitive salary and benefits” (31%) are key to retaining top talent.

They also said that highlighting career advancement opportunities (59%), and “increasing internal mobility” (51%) are crucial to attract top talent.