Why 89% of companies are prioritising skill-building to navigate the future of work

Agility is key to both individual career growth and organisational survival, particularly in the face of economic challenges. A people-centric culture that recognises the importance of employee success is crucial to building a resilient and adaptable future.

According to a recent report, 83% of organisations are looking to build a more people-centric culture. This focus on employee success is crucial in light of pandemic, which caused talent disruption, inflation and skills shortages.

With 89% of companies agreeing that proactively building employee skills is necessary to navigate the evolving future of work, executives have recognised that people strategy is central to success. Leaders’ top priority is keeping employees motivated and engaged, and their second priority is giving employees opportunities to move into different roles within the business.

“Speed of learning is your organisation’s competitive advantage. The faster your workforce can learn and apply what they learn, the more likely your company will win,” says learning and technology expert, serial entrepreneur and author Nelson Sivalingam in his latest book Learning at Speed.

To address the need for agility and resilience, leaders are working across the organisation to build cultures in which everyone has the tools, career paths, and skills to succeed. The latest LinkedIn report shows that career development and internal mobility are key to making people and organisations agile. Empowering employees with career development tools and internal mobility options engages learners and expands workforce skills, ultimately resulting in an organisation that can act quickly on valuable opportunities.

However, many organisations continue to grapple with employee retention concerns in the pandemic’s wake. While “providing learning opportunities” is the #1 way organisations are working to improve retention, there is still work to be done in encouraging internal mobility. Only 30% of employees say their organisation encouraged them to move to a new role, only 26% say their organisation challenged them to learn a new skill, and only 14% say their organisation encouraged them to build a new career development plan.

“The research suggests that the timely delivery of just enough learning, personalised to the individual’s need and incorporated into everyday work, is how people learn best,” notes Sivalingam.

Despite these challenges, lifelong learning remains essential to building the skills and developing the people for a stronger future. As organisations navigate shifting priorities, rising employee expectations, and economic uncertainty, they must prioritise employee advancement and agility to ensure survival and success.

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