Dive Brief:
- More than a quarter of respondents to a Prudential Financial survey said they worry they lack the skills that will be most in-demand when the economy "starts back up," the results, released May 27, said.
- Half of the 2,050 surveyed said the pandemic has increased their use of online learning programs. This figure rose among remote workers. Of those who set out to learn a new skill, nearly half did so because they had the time. Another third wanted to make sure "they had the skills to be employable."
- When asked to rank a set of skills, respondents more frequently rated soft skills among their top three choices. Adaptability, creativity and time management were the most popular choices.
Dive Insight:
Skills have long been an important topic among employers and HR professionals, but it appears the pandemic is pushing it to the forefront.
At the onset of the pandemic, as some employers laid off swaths of their workforces and others announced staggering hiring goals, workers jumped industries, taking widely applicable skills with them. Grocery chain Kroger, for example, hired 100,000 workers and partnered with companies including Marriott International, Waffle House and Sodexo to provide temporary employment for those in hard-hit industries.
As employers move out of triage and into recovery, the skills conversation has turned to the future. Another recent survey reported 58% of respondents were not confident they could find new jobs where their skills would apply. And 56% said they are job hunting in industries that are cutting back employment, the LiveCareer report revealed.
Such reports should entice HR to prepare for its role in reskilling workers, wrote WorldatWork President and CEO Scott Cawood in an opinion for HR Dive. "It is time for us to put everything we have into rebuilding skills to keep the world at work," he said. "Every HR officer should look at their talent needs and become a chief reskilling officer."
