This trend in upskilling marks a new era in talent development
Canadians are making the most out of their time at work by learning new skills even amid disruptions from COVID-19. More than two in five (44%) developed at least one new competency since the pandemic began, a new study showed.
This trend of upskilling marks a new era in talent development: a quarter of workers are purportedly investing in their capabilities to stay job-ready and to advance in their career after the turmoil of 2020. “Many employees have consequently had to acquire new skills to work from home to enable COVID-safe working practices, to account for new economic realities, or because their previous job has changed so much,” noted analysts from Capterra, which released the study.
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However, only a quarter of companies provided upskilling opportunities to their staff. In some cases, employees came across the training opportunity themselves or received help from the government or municipality.
For one in three Canadians ready to switch jobs this year, learning and development opportunities are reportedly among the most important factors they consider when accepting a job. But which skills are Canadians most interested in?
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“The two most common skills reflect the widespread nature of home working and the fact that we are in a global pandemic: 33% of those who developed a new skill reported computer and software skills, with healthcare and wellbeing coming in second at 18%,” Capterra analysts said.
New skills developed during the pandemic:
- Digital skills (33%)
- Health care and well-being (18%)
- Sales (16%)
- IT security (16%)
- Web or app development (16%)
- Project management (16%)
- Personal productivity (14%)
- Financial / administrative skills (13%)
- Social media skills (13%)
- Data analytics (13%)
