According to “Skilling Today,” a global report by Randstad RiseSmart, IT skills (65%) and web development (64%) took precedence over soft skills (62%)

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to exacerbate the growing skills gap, leaving businesses searching for qualified talent, employers are increasingly prioritizing employee skilling. According to “Skilling Today,” a global report by Randstad RiseSmart, 77 percent of Indian HR professionals whose organizations undertook skilling initiatives in 2020 said they request or require their employees to upskill or reskill to meet changing business needs. This figure sits higher than the global average of 68 percent of organisations when asked the same question. Among a global pool of 1,099 HR professionals and 1,142 employees, across eight countries and 20 industries, the survey took into consideration 152 HR professionals and 154 individual employees from India, representing businesses of all sizes.

The survey further revealed that 81% of Indian companies said they maintain skills inventories – far more than any other region. While Indian companies had the highest percentage of workforce reductions, those with skilling initiatives in place were also by far the most likely (53%) to offer skilling to separated employees. In addition, they were also the most optimistic when it came to how effective that skilling was, with 98% reporting that it helped separated workers find new roles.

Among global economies surveyed, India was found to be the only region where IT skills (65%) and web development (64%) took precedence over soft skills (62%). In another major divergence, Indian companies' most-wanted skills for the coming year are: AI (45%), adaptability (32%), and creativity (31%).

Across all respondents, both HR professionals and employees agree that upskilling and reskilling add value to an organization. Of those that offered skilling, nearly all employers (98 percent) said employees either fully or partially used the skills they learned to benefit the business, and 94 percent of employees said they either fully or partially put their new or refreshed skills to use in a meaningful way.

“Globalization, the rise of automation and other disruptions have put significant pressure on employers and employees to take a continuous approach to learning and skilling – and the pandemic has only accelerated the need for employees to develop new skills,” said Randstad RiseSmart President and General Manager Dan Davenport. “To achieve long-term business success, it isn’t enough for organizations to simply provide employees with a list of training and skilling opportunities to consider. Leading employers will instead seek out expert career development and talent mobility partners to help their employees develop strategic skilling roadmaps that incorporate actionable data, analysis and coaching throughout the skilling journey.”

Echoing his thoughts, Joel Paul, Managing Director, Randstad RiseSmart IMEA said, “The disruption caused by the pandemic accelerated upskilling and training initiatives by at least a decade. In order to keep pace with the highly dynamic demands of the corporate world, it is reassuring to know that India is on the right track towards building a future-ready workforce. We are already seeing the impact career development programmes have on employees, irrespective of what stage in their professional journey they are at. In the long run, this will be mutually beneficial to both organisations, as well as the employee, to bring out the best in each other. The Skilling Today survey brings to the limelight the progress India has made in this area.”