Learning, development and career growth.
The People at Work 2025 Report commissioned by the ADP suggests that on-the-job training is more critical to building a future-proof workforce than vocational, or post-secondary education.
It was also found that employers who invest in continued learning and on-the-job development stand to reap bottom-line benefits and are more likely to maintain a significant competitive advantage.
Here are the findings from The People at Work 2025 report.
The Background.
The report comprised a random panel sample of nearly 38,000 working adults across 34 geographical markets. These included Europe, North America, Asia/Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East/Africa.
The respondents were asked to categorise themselves in one of three ways –
- Knowledge workers – have the freedom and creativity to try new things.
- Skilled task workers – use a level of expertise to solve similar problems each day.
- Cycle workers – those who do similar repetitive task-based work every day.
Each respondent was given the same survey.
They were asked about their employers’ attitudes to learning and the available development opportunities for career progression.
The Results – the headlines.
Only 24% of the panel felt confident they possessed the required skills to progress in their careers.
Just 3.8% of respondents had developed new skills on the job within the past two years.
Knowledge Workers felt most strongly that their upskilling was supported and that they had the potential for short-term career growth.
30% of Knowledge Workers felt they were supported with the skills to advance in their careers in the next 3 years, and 26% believed that their employer was invested in their development.
At the other end of the scale, only 15% of Cycle Workers felt they had the skills to advance and 8% believed their employer valued their learning and development.
Where it was felt that employers were strongly invested in professional development, 54% of respondents had received a recent promotion. Conversely, only 34% of those with underperforming employers had advanced with extra responsibilities or remuneration.
The Results – beyond the headlines.
The report highlights some important issues about the benefits of employer investment in Learning and Development.
At both an individual and organisational level, L&D investment is a benchmark of success.
Recruitment, Retention and Turnover.
Workers who felt their employer valued their learning were 6 times more likely to recommend their employer as a great place to work.
They were also more loyal.
62% of those who had received training had no intention to leave, compared to 50% of respondents who hadn’t received any.
Indeed, employers prioritising learning enjoyed a significantly lower turnover rate than those that didn’t; 1/3 lower on average.
Productivity and motivation.
Workers who had invested employers were 3 times more likely to describe themselves as highly productive. They were also more driven to contribute to organisational objectives. They were also more likely to have a desire to maintain their competitive edge and chase promotion opportunities.
To help evidence this, employees who felt L&D wasn’t supported reported feeling less motivated. They were not driven to achieve and reported poor engagement.
They were less likely to keep up to date with sector advances independently and therefore lost the will to innovate for the wider organisational good.
When the survey looked more deeply into the negative effects on the workforce, the results showed that organisations not supporting inclusive learning practices suffered particularly badly. This was especially true regarding turnover, increased recruitment costs, employee buy-in and loyalty.
Diversity and learning.
The report looked at 2 particular protected characteristics within diversity – age and gender.
Age.
The age group 55-64 were most likely to report a lack of opportunity.
Only 15% of this cohort “strongly agreed” that they had the skills to advance further in their chosen field. Additionally, only 11% of this group felt their employer was invested in supporting their future growth.
The age group below this (40-54) reported slightly elevated levels of employer concern. 22% of these respondents believed they had the skills to progress, while 15% reported their employer was invested in their development.
The two lowest age brackets; 18-26 and 27-39 have similar views.
Approximately 27% of both groups believed they held the right skills to progress and 20% of both cohorts believed their employer to support their professional development.
This trend suggests that organisations are clearer in identifying and addressing the skills needs of their younger workers.
Gender.
It was found that male respondents were more likely to feel they have the necessary skills to advance their careers. Geographically, when investigating employer investment in upskilling, this gender gap is especially pronounced in North American respondents.
This gender divide was most keenly felt in Cycle Workers (those with daily repetitive jobs). Here, just 13% of women believe they have the skills to progress compared to 18% of men.
What can businesses do?
To help support employee development and address the skills gap learning and development opportunities must be a priority.
Access to opportunity should be structured and easily attainable. Resources should be provided to the entire workforce and business leaders are advised to think more broadly – especially around access to digital tools and digital poverty.
Organisations are also recommended to make organisational aims and objectives more publicly known.
Opportunities aligned to macro goals and that support these objectives are critical. Invested individuals who see their work as impactful are driven to succeed and be more competitive.
Exposure to other business areas such as secondments will help employees identify new areas of interest and highlight unrecognised skills. This open structure will close skills gaps organically; promoting the likelihood that businesses will thrive in the digital age.
HR data tools are another great way to assess business needs and the workforce.
Analysing current teams and identifying areas of need are ways in which businesses can secure a double win…improve the productivity and engagement of the current team, lower turnover and avoid recruitment costs.
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