Research by talent.com among over 1000 UK workers has found 46 per cent are keen to undertake training to upskill for a potential recession, with over half (52 per cent) willing to fund this themselves in their own time. However, 1 in 10 said their employer is not offering the chance to learn new skills and 76 per cent would be willing to undertake training outside of working hours if it was funded by somebody else (such as their employer).
Out of those not looking to upskill, one-third (34 per cent) said this is because training isn’t offered by employers, they don’t know how to access it, or don’t know what kinds of skills they will need for the future world of work.
Looking at the research from a generational point of view, 61 per cent of workers over the age of 45 say they are not looking to reskill, with 47 per cent of these saying that they believe their current skillset will be enough to get them through. 18 per cent said that they do not have time and 13 per cent cannot afford to pay for it themselves. 1 in 10 over 45s also say that their company is not providing them with the opportunity to develop new skills at work.
Similarly under 35s not looking to upskill say that they don’t know which skills areas to focus on (24 per cent), they don’t have time (26 per cent) or the funds (26 per cent). However two-thirds of this age group are looking to diversify their skillset or have already done so to prepare for a potential recession.
Noura Dadzie, Senior VP of Sales at talent.com says: “For the UK workforce the threat of a recession is real. Half of UK employees feel that a looming recession is a threat to their job security and would be prepared to switch industries if their current one was threatened.
“In today’s competitive job market, where candidates hold the power, it is clear that employers who offer training to their employees will not only be a more attractive choice to potential candidates, but will also amass and retain a more skilled workforce with workers keen to take up training that is on offer,” she added. “Offering career development paths improves the employer value proposition and make organisations more attractive not only to Gen Z and Millennial employees but also to older workers looking to return to the workplace.”
