17 Mar , 2021 By : kanchan Joshi
About 77% of Indian HR professionals, whose organizations undertook skilling initiatives in 2020 said they request or require their employees to upskill or reskill to meet changing business needs, according to Skilling Today, a global report by Randstad RiseSmart.
This figure sits higher than the global average of 68% of organizations when asked the same question.
Among a global pool of 1,099 HR professionals and 1,142 employees, across eight countries and 20 industries, the survey took into consideration 152 HR professionals and 154 individual employees from India, representing businesses of all sizes.
Around 81% of Indian companies said they maintain skills inventories—far more than any other region. While Indian companies had the highest percentage of workforce reductions, those with skilling initiatives in place were also by far the most likely (53%) to offer skilling to separated employees.
“Globalization, the rise of automation and other disruptions have put significant pressure on employers and employees to take a continuous approach to learning and skilling—and the pandemic has only accelerated the need for employees to develop new skills," said Dan Davenport, Randstad RiseSmart president and general manager.
He added that to achieve long-term business success, it isn’t enough for organizations to simply provide employees with a list of training and skilling opportunities to consider.
Among global economies surveyed, India was found to be the only region where IT skills (65%) and web development (64%) took precedence over soft skills (62%). In another major divergence, Indian companies' most-wanted skills for the coming year are: AI (45%), adaptability (32%), and creativity (31%).
Across all respondents—both HR professionals and employees—agree that upskilling and reskilling add value to an organization. Of those that offered skilling, nearly all employers (98%) said employees either fully or partially used the skills they learned to benefit the business, and 94% of employees said they either fully or partially put their new or refreshed skills to use in a meaningful way.
“In order to keep pace with the highly dynamic demands of the corporate world, it is reassuring to know that India is on the right track towards building a future-ready workforce. We are already seeing the impact career development programmes have on employees, irrespective of what stage in their professional journey they are at," said Joel Paul, managing director, Randstad RiseSmart IMEA said.
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