Employees, employers hold divergent views on upskilling the workforce

While nearly everyone involved in the supply chain believes an upskilling of the workforce is crucial to help close growing skills gaps, a new survey suggests the workers themselves are not as confident in the process. In fact, many are fearful of their jobs.

The report, called The Great Potential from global talent solutions provider LHH, found that 64% of workers believe companies should upskill and train for roles across the company before hiring externally. In manufacturing, 67% believe companies should prioritize internal development and placement, yet just 37% believe their managers would support such a change.

“Companies should empower managers to view their teams through the lens of skills,” the report said. “Employees want help knowing where their skills can take them next. Younger cohorts (50%) and workers older than 50 (53%) struggle most to see their skills as transferable between industries. Employers able to provide such guidance stand to gain: 58% say a prospective new career motivates them to build skills outside their day job.”

Just as concerning is that only 54% of workers believe their manager would support their move to another team in the company. That could be contributing to creating what LHH calls the “passive talent pool.”

“For employers with open roles to fill, uncertainty in the workplace presents its own unique challenge,” LHH said. “On the one hand, the unease has created a significant ‘passive talent pool’ of people who are eager for new skills and opportunities. Almost half of workers (47%) are looking at open roles, and a third (33%) say they think about their career plans daily or weekly. In total, 72% of workers contemplate their future plans—such as their next job, reskilling, and upskilling—no less than quarterly.”

Companies can address this situation, LHH notes, by recognizing some common traits across the talent pool.

1. They want more than just a job and a salary. In the survey, respondents reported their top five reasons for changing jobs include a better salary, career progression, well-being, a sense of purpose, and “being your own boss.” Entry-level (31%) and non-manager (33%) workers also put more of a priority on being happier at work (22%) compared with their more experienced colleagues (16%).
2. They want to believe employers see potential in a range of demographics. Some workers are less confident about their potential: For example, workers older than 50 say that age is the No. 1 blocker for finding a new job quickly (29%), more so than “the current economic situation,” which is the top worry for younger workers (23%). Employers should project a sense of inclusion to all current and prospective employees.
3. Workers expect to transfer to new roles and industries and seek guidance from companies. Nearly half of workers (46%) want to change careers but don’t know which path to take. They’re not looking for a simple lateral or incremental move within their field. Some workers see themselves better positioned for a switch than others, with those in technology (70%) especially confident that they can assume other roles in their industry

The combination of these factors leads to what LHH calls talent hoarding. More than half of workers (58%) say a prospective new career motivates them to build skills outside their day job. LHH said managers should conduct regular “skills assessments,” something that is routinely done at the senior level but apparently not at lower levels, with just 48% of non-managers saying they get these types of reviews.

“As the workforce continues to change, companies will need to take a new approach to recruiting, retaining, and nurturing talent to maintain a competitive advantage. This is a moment of great potential when it comes to addressing worker fears and uncertainty and filling critical skills gaps.”

“And when anxieties around potentially outdated skills take hold, even engaged employees may start planning their next moves, seeing as a third (33%) think about career plans weekly or daily. Insufficient training for managers to serve their employees in a meaningful way exacerbates the problem,” LHH said.

Employees are seeking help with their careers, according to the survey. When asked who was most responsible for educating them about the changing nature of work, the results were mixed, with 27% saying themselves, 26% saying their manager, and 24% saying their employer.

The results were similar when the question about making sure skills are relevant for the future was asked, with 39% saying themselves, followed by 22% the manager and 20% the company.

LHH concluded that there is a massive talent pool just waiting for an opportunity, whether that is internally or externally. Additionally, internal mobility is broken and skills development is not taking place to fill internal gaps, with managers tending to look outside the organization for the right skillset rather than upskilling internal candidates.

“As the workforce continues to change, companies will need to take a new approach to recruiting, retaining, and nurturing talent to maintain a competitive advantage. This is a moment of great potential when it comes to addressing worker fears and uncertainty and filling critical skills gaps,” LHH said.

SC
MR