Employers not doing enough to improve worker skills: survey

13 May 2009

The importance of continued training and skills development in the workplace has been highlighted by a recent international workplace survey that shows approximately nine out of ten Indian respondents believe their current skills will be outdated within five years.

The survey, by global human resources leader Kelly Services, finds more than a third of the respondents believe the training currently provided by their employers will not meet their future career needs. 

The Kelly Global Workforce Index obtained the views of nearly 100,000 people in 34 countries, including almost 5,000 in India.

The survey highlights the significance that employees across age groups place on training and skills development to sustain them in a rapidly changing labour market.

Among Indian respondents, 69 per cent say that training should be a joint responsibility between an employer and employee. The preference among those surveyed is for on-the-job training (52 per cent), followed by professional development courses (33 per cent), and self-initiated learning (13 per cent). Formal university or college qualifications were cited by a mere three per cent of the respondents.

More women respondents preferred on-the-job training, while men preferred professional development courses as the best method to upgrade their skills. The Indian findings also reveal the depth of concern across the population about the possible incapacity of the current skills base to meet new workforce challenges.