Upskilling is, according to experts, one of the most urgent challenges the workforce faces.
Learning new skills to remain competitive is touted as the most important way workers can future-proof themselves against workforce disruptions, such as automation; surveys show nearly 40% of workers fear their job will become obsolete in the next five years. The World Economic Forum also says upskilling is crucial to post-Covid economic recovery; it could boost global GDP by over $6 trillion and create 5.3 million new jobs by 2030.
The message is clear: the workplace is changing rapidly and we need new skills for a new world. But what is upskilling? Many people don’t even really know – let alone how to upskill themselves.
That’s according to a report last year from McKinsey, which looked at how upskilling sparks job growth and can tackle equity issues. “Across all education and income levels, what we saw is that over half of want to upskill, but awareness of what exactly to do was one of the biggest barriers,” says future of work analyst Kweilin Ellingrud, senior partner at McKinsey and director of its Global Institute.
Fortunately, experts say anyone can upskill, and there are plenty of resources out there to help us – once we know where to start.
Recent Comments