Login
iscover
A huge disconnect exists between the perceptions of employers and employees about learning and how they approach it.
Newsletter
Bosses fret over skills, yet few staff feel properly trained
17 November 2022
•
9 minute read
Four out of five employers are concerned about skill shortages but fewer than half of their staff believe the workplace meets their training needs, according to a report by recruiter Hays.
You’re out of free articles for this month
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!
Employers were missing an opportunity to close the skills gap by failing to upskill their employees, with 92 per cent of professionals occasionally, frequently or always needing to learn new skills for their jobs, it said.
The Learning Mindset Report found 83 per cent of professionals were highly interested in learning new skills while fewer than half of employers believed their staff were interested in doing so.
“Learning is in the best interests of both parties. 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-proofs their career,” said Hays chief executive Alistair Cox.
The survey also showed that while 78 per cent of employers claimed to offer learning resources to employees, only 52 per cent of professionals believed they received them from their employer.
“Organisations need to ensure that their workers know what learning resources are available to them and 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 encourage their workers to acquire new skills.”
Over 15,000 professionals said they quickly apply new skills, 81 per cent believed they have, while 60 per cent of employers were less convinced.
Even when employers meant well, many failed to find and teach the skills their workers needed to do their jobs well, said the co-founder of Go1, Chris Eigeland.
“This has resulted in a mismatch between the skills that employers need and the skills that workers actually have,” Mr Eigeland said.
Nearly half (48 per cent) of workers have said the learning provided by their employer suits their needs, even though 82 per cent of employers said they were worried about skill shortages, the report said.
“Organisations are also weighed down by the challenge of engaging employees in learning,” he said.
“Even employers who recognise the importance of upskilling are struggling to find learning content that meets the full spectrum of their learners’ needs.“
The Hays and Go1 Learning Mindset Report surveyed 5,360 hiring managers and 15,108 professionals in 26 countries.
You need to be a member to post comments. Become a member for free today!
