Pearson Skills Outlook report themed ‘Employee View’ has revealed that 88 per cent  of workers in India expect to continue learning and training throughout their careers to stay relevant and attractive to employers.  

The report has highlighted the shift in the attitude of the workforce towards upskilling, as they expect and explore learning and development, for their entire lifetime. A majority of the respondents who participated in the survey , expressed that learning a new language, specifically English, would help them advance in their careers.

The report, which polled 4,000 people in four countries (US, UK, India, and Brazil) to see what skills they were prioritising for their career development, illustrated that across markets, short courses, employer-sponsored training, and university degrees are seen as the most needed, to move up from current positions. This was seen to be true especially in India, with certifications from professional organisations (34 per cent) and from platforms (34 per cent) being the top two types of education felt needed to advance their careers. This illustrates that employers offering certifications are also seen as more attractive to the working populace. 

Nearly 88 per cent of the Indian workers expect to continue learning throughout their careers to stay up to date. More than half of the Indian respondents stated that their employers offer skilling as a benefit, and around 92 per cent took advantage. Education future interest for workers across demographics shows a preference for short courses (80 per cent), language learning programmes (83 per cent), and credentials / badges (75 per cent). Employers are therefore more likely to begin offering more courses as benefits in the workplace. 

The report also found that while millennials and Gen X workers exhibited positive sentiments towards their current career growth, 88 per cent of Gen Z had to rethink their career path due to the uncertainties of the last three years. Gen Z workers were also less likely to feel optimistic about the state of the job market compared to Millennials and more likely to be actively seeking a new job compared to Gen X.

“Today, the success of any modern organisation depends on the success of its workforce. However, there is a persistent skills gap across industries and markets which has a direct impact on productivity, business growth and innovation. With the proliferation of the internet and the emergence of new technologies such as AI/ML and data science, the workforce has to not only learn new technical skills but also human skills, which will make their work more effective. The Skills Outlook Report clearly brings out the fact that the Indian workers are well aware of their upskilling imperatives and are looking for trustworthy avenues of learning and development.