Dive Brief:
- The chasm between qualified talent and available talent appears to be widening: 83% of organizations surveyed by the Association for Talent Development said they’re facing a skills gap in their workforce. Additionally, 78% told ATD they expect to face a skills disparity in the future.
- Employers noted a dearth of skills in areas of leadership, with 65% having observed a need for more critical-thinking and problem-solving skills among employees, 55% indicating necessary managerial skills and 53% pointing to a lack of communication and interpersonal skills.
- Talent development professionals also expected to deal with skills gaps in critical thinking and problem solving skills as well as leadership abilities and creative know-how in the future, the report said.
Dive Insight:
The name of the game is agility. According to the ATD report, companies are in a "precarious situation" due to the pandemic, "increasing resignations in some industries, changing technology and an aging workforce." About 60% of respondents said the divide was due to their employees’ skills not matching up with changes in company strategy, goals, markets or business models.
Of respondent organizations currently addressing the disparities, 21% were offering more in-person training and 60% were offering "technology-aided settings" such as e-learning and virtual classrooms.
Many companies are making creative use of remote-first work models during the pandemic. Software company ServiceNow issued VR headsets to employees to bolster diversity, inclusion and belonging training.
HR Dive previously reported on Jobs for the Future’s outlook on immersive learning solutions, such as including virtual reality and augmented reality – tools that can provide greater access to training for workers across the spectrum of industries, from law enforcement to food safety, according to JFF.
