Continuous upskilling is essential to remain competitive in today’s dynamic professional landscape, but only 65% of employees see direct applicability in their current roles – this is the main finding of recent EY research on the need for upskilling and reskilling in turn of the labor force.
Employees and managers across all industries (73%) recognize the value of upskilling, but the reality is that the majority – 7 out of 10 respondents – enroll in upskilling/reskilling programs for personal development, not career advancement, calling into question the effectiveness of these programs.
Horațiu Cocheci, People Advisory Director, EY Romania, emphasizes the importance of personalizing development programs: “To respond effectively to the needs of employees, it is crucial to adopt a differentiated and personalized approach in creating reskilling and upskilling programs, otherwise we risk perpetuating a cycle of initiatives sterile that bring no tangible improvement.”
Digital skills: the priority of professional development and the responsibility of employers
The EY study profiles digital skills, artificial intelligence, cyber security and green technologies as the essential skills for the next decade, but notes that access to appropriate upskilling programs remains a challenge.
Digital skills are seen as essential in preparing the workforce for the future. A percentage of 51% of participants ranked digital skills as the most important for retraining and increasing professional skills. Almost half (49%) of the respondents to the study confirmed the presence of digital skills development programs in the company where they work.
In addition, the study reveals that, in the professional services sector, the percentage of those who confirm the presence of programs to increase digital skills is even higher, reaching 59%. This underlines the trend that with the new requirements to automate and streamline processes, as well as to quickly adapt to new technologies, digital skills have become more of a sine qua non than a differentiator or development benefit among employees in this section.
At the same time, artificial intelligence (AI) development programs are only fifth in importance for development programs at 38%, showing that employees value digital skills in general more than AI specialization . However, it is important to note that these preferences may vary by industry and the specific role of the employee.
There is also a recognition of the importance of learning how to manage artificial intelligence (AI) among professionals in various industries, with 85% of respondents believing that every professional, regardless of the sector they operate in, should acquire knowledge about AI.
Amid this background, there is a strong case for governments to provide subsidies or tax incentives to companies that invest in reskilling programs, including in artificial intelligence, to support the workforce in acquiring the necessary skills to remain competitive in the labor market: 85 % of respondents believe that it should provide subsidies or tax incentives to companies that invest in workforce retraining programs.