New Research: 81% of Learning Pros Say Disruption Drives Upskilling and Reskilling Demand
We keep hearing that artificial intelligence, bots, and other components of technology will force employers to rethink skills in the workplace. But what do the data say? In a new study, Disruption Drives Reskilling and Upskilling, our team found that 81 percent of learning professionals believe that the current pace of change, automation, and disruption will drive a need for reskilling and upskilling employees.
[Click here to download our latest research on
reskilling and upskilling the workforce.]
Note: the Disruption Drives Reskilling and Upskilling research study was developed by surveying nearly 1,000 learning professionals and learners to understand their challenges, beliefs, and other facets surrounding the need for a tighter focus on employee skills. This is unsponsored, unbiased research aimed at helping today’s business leaders make better decisions about how they approach skills acquisition, development, and management.
While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, reskilling and upskilling actually have distinctly different meanings:
- Upskilling is the development of additional skills to help make someone more valuable in their current role. For example, a software developer learning an additional coding language.
- Reskilling is the development of significantly different skills to make someone suitable for a different role. For example, retraining a former cashier to work as a personal shopper instead, as Wal-Mart and other retailers have done.
These two components are critical for employers facing a skills gap, defined as the difference between the skills mix that workers currently have and the skills mix the employer needs to accomplish its goals. In a recent research study, my team found that the number one driver of learning content demand for employers was to close skills gaps.
A Key Weakness: Measuring and Tracking Employee Skills
In the Disruption Drives Reskilling and Upskilling study, only 60 percent of employers in the study said they methodically track the skills of every employee, which obviously puts them at a disadvantage. How can you know how big the skills gap is if you don’t know what skills you currently have? Whether you currently do or don’t, perhaps this will give you some ideas on how to do it more comprehensively.
In the study, we asked employers and learners about the most common ways the business identifies worker skills. Note that aggregate responses may be over 100 percent because participants could select more than one method of skills identification.
| Method | Learning Professionals | Learners |
| Manager Observations | 63% | 58% |
| Assessments | 51% | 37% |
| Peer Feedback/360s | 34% | 29% |
| Self-Reported | 26% | 19% |
| Not Sure | 5% | 18% |
Source: Lighthouse Research & Advisory
Key Insights in the Research Report
Please download the free report to learn more, including:
- The best learning methods for hard and soft skills
- The average price of reskilling a worker (and how it compares to hiring new staff)
- What soft skills learning professionals think the workforce needs MOST
- How technology plays a role in reskilling and upskilling
Ben Eubanks is the Chief Research Officer at Lighthouse Research & Advisory. He is an author, speaker, and researcher with a passion for telling stories and making complex topics easy to understand.
His latest book Talent Scarcity answers the question every business leader has asked in recent years: “Where are all the people, and how do we get them back to work?” It shares practical and strategic recruiting and retention ideas and case studies for every employer.
His first book, Artificial Intelligence for HR, is the world’s most-cited resource on AI applications for hiring, development, and employee experience.
Ben has more than 10 years of experience both as an HR/recruiting executive as well as a researcher on workplace topics. His work is practical, relevant, and valued by practitioners from F100 firms to SMB organizations across the globe.
He has spoken to tens of thousands of HR professionals across the globe and enjoys sharing about technology, talent practices, and more. His speaking credits include the SHRM Annual Conference, Seminarium International, PeopleMatters Dubai and India, and over 100 other notable events.