Talent transformation: Digital-skilled needed

The past several years have been tumultuous for the job market. Employers and Employees have needed to find new ways to do things and reassessed what and how they will do things in the future. To better understand this new environment and help find solutions for the future, Udacity teamed up with Ipsos to survey employees and managers across the US, UK, France, and Germany.

The findings reveal that digital transformation is stalling due to a lack of job-ready digital talent. Employers are noticing higher than normal turnover while at the same time finding it difficult to hire the right people. In addition, the global COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these challenges as the need for skilled employees has only increased to prevent business disruption and keep pace with technological innovation.

Udacity partnered with Ipsos to conduct two online surveys between August 29 – September 26, 2021.

The study revealed that:

• Digital transformation is stalling due to a lack of job-ready digital talent. Six in ten employers report that not having enough skilled employees has a major or moderate impact on their business; France and Germany are slightly more likely to say so than the US and UK. In addition, half of employers report that digital transformation initiatives are held back due to a lack of employee adoption or engagement.
• Employers are overestimating the effectiveness of existing Learning and Development programs. Unfortunately, a disconnect exists between employers and employees across existing Learning and Development programs. Among employers who offer learning and development programs, the majority (80%) classify them as at least moderately successful. On the other hand, among employees with access to these learning and development opportunities, less than half say they are completely or very satisfied with the programs (45%).
• Younger employees across regions expect employers to commit to talent transformation and employee growth initiatives. In all countries, a majority of younger people aged 18 - 49 believe their employers should invest in their future by providing skill training. In Germany, 69% of people aged 18 - 29 hold these expectations.

These are the findings from two online surveys conducted between August 29 – September 26, 2021 by Ipsos on behalf of Udacity. The two surveys were defined as a sample of 2,008 employed adults working in managerial roles or higher from the U.S. (502), the U.K. (502), France (502), and Germany (502), across various industries, in English, French, and German, and a sample of 4,006 general population adults aged 18+ — with nationally representative subsamples in the U.S. (1,002), the U.K. (1,004), France (1,000), and Germany (1,000), in English, French, and German.