Half UK workers want to upskill but employers blocking them, research suggests

Research from Talent.com, which surveyed 1,005 UK workers, showed that 46% of employees are keen to undertake training to upskill in the face of a potential recession, with over half (52%) willing to fund this themselves in their own time.  

Of those surveyed, 76% of workers willing to upskill would do so in their own time if this was funded by employers.

One-third of those not willing to upskill say this is because training isn’t offered, they don’t know how to access it or don’t know what skills they need.

Meanwhile, 61% of over 45s are not looking to upskill, with many believing their current skills will see them through the looming recession.

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Similarly under 35s not looking to upskill say that they don’t know which skills areas to focus on (24%), they don’t have time (26%) or the funds (26%). 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.

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“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.

“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. 

“In a previous Talent.com study on salary transparency, it was found that 20% of the UK workforce considered access to training and development plans as one of the most important factors when searching for a job.”

The research also asked which actions members of the workforce are planning to take over the next six months in response to the rise in the cost of living.

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The majority of workers (45%) stated that they did not plan to do anything related to their jobs in response to the cost-of-living crisis. Many workers identified alternative actions such as developing a side hustle (18%), taking on one or more additional jobs (8%), or freelancing (4%) as ways to counter the rise in the cost of living.

Additionally, employees identified asking their employer for a raise (19%), and taking on more hours (8%) as actions planned to be taken in response to the cost of living rises. 

Participants who expressed a desire to take action over the next six months in response to the cost of living were asked to identify their main reason for wanting to do so.