A disconnect exists between employees and employers globally when it comes to the importance of upskilling, according to a report by recruitment consultancy Hays.
Although 82 per cent of employers globally are concerned about skill shortages within their organisation, only 48 per cent of workers believe the learning resources provided by their companies allow them to upskill within their role, according to Hays.
This contrasts with 60 per cent of employers who believe the resources they offer meet the needs of their workers, the survey found.
The consultancy surveyed more than 15,000 workers and 5,000 hiring managers across 26 countries, including the UAE, the UK, the US and Singapore, among others.
“The speed at which digital transformation has taken place has not been matched by the supply of talent available for these roles. At the same time, what employees look for from their jobs and workplace has changed, and what is expected of employers is no longer the same as it was previously,” said Alistair Cox, chief executive of Hays.
“The need for new skills is not limited to just one sector — it’s an imperative everywhere, and for everyone. As automation increasingly takes over the delivery of repetitive tasks, workers need to upskill their capabilities to ensure they can contribute to more specialised roles.”
Quirkily termed "the Great Resignation", the trend has been marked by the workforce across the Middle East and globally prioritising their work-life balance, professional upskilling opportunities and flexibility when making a career move.
Additional investment to improve staff skills could boost global gross domestic product by at least $6.5 trillion and create 5.3 million new jobs by 2030, according to the World Economic Forum.
Equipping workers with the necessary skills for Fourth Industrial Revolution jobs is expected to increase global productivity by 3 per cent during the period, the WEF said in a report last year.
A majority of workers surveyed by Hays picked personal development as their primary purpose for upskilling, while employers cited improved performance.
Asked how frequently their role requires them to learn new skills, 64 per cent of workers said that they either always or frequently need to learn new skills. Only 8 per cent said they either rarely or never had to learn new skills.
Forty-two per cent of workers said there is no clear development plan in place with their employer that involved specific learning, while 27 per cent said there was.
“Organisations need to ensure that their workers know what learning resources are available to them and ensure that they provide the right level of support in areas of skills development that are needed,” Mr Cox said.
“Employers must also ensure they work to identify what skills of the future may be needed and be encouraging towards their workers in acquiring new skills.”
About 83 per cent of workers are highly interested in learning new skills, whereas only 48 per cent of employers believed their workers were inclined, the survey found.
When it comes to the outcome of learning, 81 per cent of workers surveyed believe they regularly apply their new skills effectively, while only 60 per cent believe this to be the case.
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There is also a disconnect in that employers do not realise the effort that staff put in outside of the office, with 40 per cent of workers claiming to study on a weekly basis and 68 per cent investing their own money in doing so, according to Hays.
The majority of employees polled said they favour formal learning in a structured way, with a preference for in-person learning, followed by tutor-led online seminars. Mentorship schemes are highly effective, yet underutilised, the research found.
About 78 per cent of workers said they would apply for a job without any experience, with the aim of upskilling on the job, while 81 per cent of employers would hire a candidate with the intention of upskilling them.
“Organisations need to prioritise upskilling to fill skills gaps and workers need to constantly learn to make sure their skill set remains relevant and future-proof their career,” Mr Cox said.
“Learning and personal development are fundamental aspects of a good employee value proposition. Ultimately, it will help businesses to not only retain the key talent already within their business, but also attract new talent as well.”
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