Dive Brief:

• Pew Research's State of American Jobs report highlights the top skills and training that candidates need to succeed in today's job market. Based on the study, 54% of working adults say that they know it's essential for them to get training to develop new skills in order to stay competent within the ever-changing work landscape. Another 33% said this is important, but not critical. 
• 45% of employed adults from the survey said that they had participated in a class over the last 12 months. About half of this contingent did so at the request of their employers, but others took it upon themselves to seek out additional training. 
• Age has a bit to do with job-related training, Pew Research discovered. 61% of employees under the age of 30 told researchers they see skills and training as essential to long-term career success, and 56% of employees aged 30 to 49 said they embrace training. The most active learners are those in STEM career fields. Some also said they felt their skills were mismatched from their actual jobs. 

Dive Insight:

The Pew Research report is very lengthy, so we will be revisiting it for more information in the near future. But it is clear that the youngest generation in the workforce is motivated to learn more in order to contribute their workplaces. This is good for business, and it's equally good for recruitment.

There are staffing shortages in nearly every industry now, so the more people take it upon themselves to actively seek out training, the better off the candidate pool will be. New skills can help propel candidates into better paying roles; the effort is worth it. Companies can jumpstart these habits by offering more learning benefits and workforce training programs that prepare candidates for long-term career success.