DeVry University released its second annual report on upskilling and reskilling the U.S. workforce in the age of AI. In partnership with Reputation Leaders, the research reveals that while employees are more enthusiastic about opportunities for ongoing learning, current employer upskilling and reskilling efforts are not meeting the moment with the right opportunities to reach, engage and train all employees. This can lead to greater organizational and talent risk.
The report, Closing the Gap: Upskilling and Reskilling in an AI Era, surveyed more than 1,500 employees and 580 hiring decision-makers across sectors to uncover gaps and opportunities for upskilling in this rapidly evolving landscape.
“Generative AI and high-volume data analytics are fundamentally transforming how we learn and work, leading to significant disruption in the job market. While some roles are vanishing, many are quickly evolving in ways we’ve never seen before,” said Elise Awwad, president and CEO of DeVry University. “This swift evolution underscores the urgency for upskilling and reskilling to meet rising expectations, while also preparing for the emergence of entirely new roles and career paths. Our research provides critical insights into how both employers and employees are adapting to this fast-paced change, highlighting what can be done better to meet future demands.”
The research uncovered four key insights about the challenges of upskilling and reskilling in an AI-driven world:
Workers Have More Access, Time and Energy for Upskilling—But Still Aren’t Taking Action
While more workers say they face no barriers to upskilling (30% in 2024 vs. 22% in 2023), employers estimate only about half (55%) of workers participate in upskilling opportunities available at work. Nearly 9 in 10 employers (87%) say they offer upskilling. This represents a slight increase compared to last year’s study (78%) in both availability of upskilling and utilization of programs, but across industries, the survey still found a substantial gap between what workers and employers say versus what they do.
Workers Believe in Their Current AI Skills More Than Their Employers Do
Workers and employers both acknowledge the ubiquity of AI and the importance of embracing skills in this new technology as an essential component of the near-future workplace. Yet, employers are underestimating the AI fluency of their current workers. According to the survey, employers say that 32% of their workers are merely novices at AI; however, workers feel far more strongly about their skill sets with only 3% describing themselves as such.
Women Are Falling Behind When It Comes To AI
Amid growing access to and deployment of AI tools, women are falling behind men in uptake of skills and use of AI tools. Only 41% describe their AI proficiency as intermediate or higher, in comparison to 55% of men. And, while 43% of men regard AI as a way to help them get ahead, only 27% of women agree. Women see less value in the adoption of AI in comparison to men on every measure, with only 49% seeing the benefits of AI as making their work easier in comparison to 58% of men.
Current Upskilling Approaches—Including in AI—May Expose Companies to Long-Term Risk
The data raises ethical questions about the choices employers make in providing access to AI training and skills development. Seventy-two percent of employers say they do not provide upskilling benefits to all workers, and 42% of employers say they are not confident that their organization understands how to train workers on AI effectively. When more than half of workers (56%) say they are using AI tools at work at least weekly, many are doing so without training and without guardrails for any ethical or security considerations.
“Inequitable access to AI learning and resources and use of AI tools in the workplace without guardrails, threaten to create new and avoidable organizational risks. The solution is integrated planning for the use of AI and holistic training that prepares all workers for seamless deployment of the new technology. At DeVry, we believe intentional education of employees and the broader U.S. workforce around AI is imperative for companies and organizations to successfully navigate an increasingly technology-focused marketplace,” commented Awwad.
Explore HRtech News for the latest Tech Trends in Human Resources Technology.
