Just 4% of job listings mention AI - but AI accounts for 67.5% of employee upskilling efforts
Employers across major economies are increasingly misaligned with their own workforces on artificial intelligence (AI) and soft skills, as workers accelerate their upskilling efforts while hiring practices remain focused on immediate needs, according to a study.
Specifically, just 4% of job listings mention AI. By contrast, AI accounts for 67.5% of employee upskilling efforts, according to the report from Udemy and Indeed based on data from 2023 to 2025. Udemy Business learning data tracked course enrolment patterns among enterprise customers to identify which skills saw the largest percentage point increases in learner interest, while Indeed analysed job postings across four markets (Australia, India, UK, US) using 2,884 distinct skills commonly found in US job postings.
In technology, 95% of workers’ upskilling is dedicated to AI‑related content, yet only 17.5% of the fastest‑growing skills in tech job postings are AI‑related. In manufacturing, 60% of employee learning is focused on AI skills, but AI does not appear among the sector’s top job posting skills in any of the markets examined.
Udemy describes the trend as evidence of a “future‑proofing instinct” among workers, who are investing heavily in capabilities they believe will be critical in an AI‑driven labour market. Employers, meanwhile, are largely concentrating on filling current vacancies and traditional roles.
“Professionals are developing a remarkable instinct, accelerating their skills journeys faster than ever before to prepare for what’s ahead,” says Hugo Sarrazin, President and CEO at Udemy. “The future belongs to workers who can build AI fluency while maintaining adaptive or soft skills that help teams collaborate effectively and navigate the workforce transformation.”
Canadian employers are heading into 2026 with slow economic growth, cautious hiring plans and limited wage pressure, even as conditions are being laid for a modest recovery later in the year, according to a previous Deloitte report.
Sector differences in AI adoption
Industry‑specific patterns underline how unevenly employers are responding to AI, according to the Udemy–Indeed report. In professional services, the report finds that employers are actively hiring for AI skills across all four markets, moving more quickly to integrate AI into talent requirements.
In manufacturing, workers appear to be outpacing their employers. While about 60% of learning among manufacturing employees is devoted to AI, hiring remains focused on traditional needs such as quality control. The report suggests many employers in the sector have not yet adapted job profiles or workforce plans to reflect workers’ growing AI capabilities.
In the technology industry, nearly all upskilling is centred on AI, and employer demand is strong, though it varies by country. The share of tech job postings mentioning AI‑related skills in Australia rose from 3.2% to 22.3% over the two‑year period, while in the US it increased from 5.8% to 21.9%.
“Indeed Hiring Lab’s job market data, along with Udemy’s workforce skills data, gives us a unique view of how work is evolving,” says Laura Ullrich, Director of Economic Research at Indeed. “AI emerging as a top‑growing skill across industries isn’t surprising, but the employees who pair technical expertise with strong soft skills will be best positioned to thrive.”
“At the same time, the smartest organisations will meet employees where they are, hiring the right skills to achieve business goals and secure top talent for sustainable growth,” Sarrazin says.
AI upskilling has become “a workplace necessity across industries," according to a previous report.
AI fluency among employees
The rapid rise of AI will continue to reshape roles, workflows and entire industries, says Sarrazin in an article posted in the World Economic Forum.
“The key for professionals and organisations to thrive in this environment is proactive upskilling in both technical and soft skills. Employees can better prepare by seeking structured learning opportunities and experimenting with AI tools in their day‑to‑day work,” he says.
“Equally important, employers must provide accessible, well‑integrated training platforms that embed dynamic upskilling opportunities directly into workflows and align with real business needs. AI fluency is a shared responsibility where organisations and their people can navigate uncertainty with confidence and turn disruption into advantage.”
