Forty-three per cent of UK C-suite executives are focused on upskilling and reskilling their workforce as hiring challenges continue, with the role of HR and L&D teams growing in importance, research from LinkedIn has found.
Four in five top business leaders said the HR function is more crucial than ever as organisations weather the current economic challenges.
One in three are deploying employees in areas where their business will see the most growth.
However, many are concerned about having the skills required in areas they will have the most impact. The top five skills most in-demand by UK employers are: management, communication, customer service, leadership and sales.
LinkedIn’s Building the agile future report also found that two-thirds of learning and development (L&D) professionals are currently focused on helping their business navigate the economic challenges. Eight in 10 UK-based L&D professionals agreed that proactively building up employees’ skillsets will help their organisation adapt to future workplace demands.
Upskilling and reskilling
Ninety-two per cent of L&D professionals said they were concerned about employee retention in the current climate. Learning opportunities are seen as a top priority for retaining talent, with the report finding skills development and career growth among the most common sway factors when it came to employees seeking new opportunities elsewhere.
Becky Schnauffer, global head of strategic clients at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, said: “Businesses up and down the country are facing skills gaps, making it harder to capitalise on growth opportunities and overcome uncertainty in the year ahead. Learning and development professionals are critical for bridging these gaps, and for building strong and resilient teams – which will ultimately make it easier for businesses to grow and achieve their goals.
“They’ll also be vital for helping businesses to retain employees, with our research showing that up to 20 million UK professionals are considering switching jobs this year. We know that employees are looking for opportunities to learn and develop new skills, and if they don’t get them – they will leave.”
Placid Jover, chief talent and reward officer at Unilever, said: “The world is facing unrelenting change. The skills we will require and value in ten years will be vastly different than those we hire for today. That’s why we are helping our people find purpose, continuously build skills and stay future-fit, enabling our talent to pursue meaningful work in an ever-changing world.”
A global survey of L&D professionals found that aligning L&D programmes to business goals is the top priority for L&D teams in 2023.
LinkedIn’s survey involved 1,579 L&D professionals and HR professionals with L&D responsibilities globally, including more than 200 in the UK.
It commissioned a separate survey of 2,929 C-suite executives from organisations with more than 1,000 employees and an annual turnover in excess of £250m.
