A recent study by LinkedIn on Tuesday revealed that 94% of Indian companies plan to improve the skills and capabilities of their employees this year, as artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape the world of work.
The Workplace Learning Report highlights employee upskilling, aligning training programs with business goals and creating a learning culture as three key areas of focus. intervention of Indian learning and development (L&D) professionals in 2024.
Additionally, it indicates that soft skills take center stage, with nine out of ten L&D industry professionals prioritizing people skills.
A total of 91 percent of L&D professionals in India view human skills as increasingly competitive in the economy.
“Communication” tops LinkedIn’s list of most in-demand skills in 2024 across all countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including India. Soft skills such as critical thinking and problem solving are among the five skills that hiring managers in India consider most important in the AI era.
L&D professionals want to invest in a culture of continuing education. Indian companies are focusing on upskilling their employees for greater confidence and job security by offering online training and development programs (53%) and providing experimentation opportunities practice with Gen AI tools (54%), the report adds.
This will lead to increased investment in learning opportunities. In fact, 96% of L&D professionals in India say they can demonstrate their business value by helping their employees acquire the skills needed to move into different internal roles.
Speaking on the development, Ruchee Anand, Senior Director of Talent, Learning & Engagement Solutions at LinkedIn India, said, “Last year, we saw a 21x increase in job postings mentioning ChatGPT or GPT on LinkedIn, reflecting the growing demand for technology skills. as businesses explored AI. This year, we are seeing a pronounced shift toward skills – both technical and soft – to thrive in the AI era.
“With job skills expected to grow 68% globally by 2030, we are seeing a greater emphasis on learning hard and soft skills, with the majority of employers surveyed agreeing that this balance will be essential for organizations to succeed in this era. of AI,” she added.
He highlighted that 48 per cent of hiring managers in India provide career advancement opportunities to their existing employees. They also believe that “helping employees learn the skills needed for the future of work” (38 percent) and “providing competitive salaries and benefits” (31 percent) are essential to retaining top talent.
