74% of workers suggest employers to blame for their AI skills gap

AI is top of mind for workers who have an eye on how the technology will impact their day-to-day jobs and long-term career prospects. And for good reason as 92% of IT jobs are expected to be transformed by AI, rendering 74% of IT pros fearful that AI will make their skills obsolete.

A recent survey from Skillsoft sheds additional light on these dynamics. Its survey of 2,500 full-time employees in the US, UK, Germany, and India revealed that 35% of respondents lack confidence that they have the skills required to succeed in their roles, with 41% noting concerns regarding job security because of a skills gap.

Skills gaps “hold workers back from reaching their full potential” and ultimately “hinder organizations in achieving their key business objectives,” said Ciara Harrington, the company’s chief people officer, in a release.

The most critical gap? AI and machine learning (ML). Ranking AI/ML skills as a top competency their managers want from team members, 43% of respondents said AI/ML was their biggest skills gap.

However, when you look into the statistics for those who specifically pointed to AI and machine learning as their biggest skills deficiency, only 21% said they lacked confidence in their skills and only 33% noted concerns about job security — both better than the survey average. This might suggest that, while these workers recognize their current lack of AI skills, they are more confident in their ability to learn the necessary skills to integrate AI into their workflows.

That is, of course, if they get the opportunity. Among those workers who cited AI and ML as their biggest skills gaps, 74% said their organization’s AI training programs are “average to poor,” versus 62% of respondents overall.

Organizations looking to adapt AI tools need to assess the level of training and learning opportunities they have available for employees. CIOs recognize this need to provide AI training, but many don’t provide it.

“Organizations that take a holistic, longer-term, strategic approach to workforce planning and talent development can better prepare their workforce to stay current with their skills and competencies to meet changing business needs,” says Lily Mok, a Gartner VP analyst.

While 95% of respondents said their organization have professional development plans in place, only 25% said they found them to be “highly effective.” Lack of time to engage with training (43%), non-user-friendly learning formats (30%), and a lack of leadership support (26%) were cited as key complaints in the survey.

Data from Gartner also shows that less than half of employees (47%) are satisfied with the rate of career advancement in their organization and that only 37% of job openings have been filled via internal candidates. This points to a “significant need to improve the effectiveness of learning and development programs,” says Mok. Companies can’t expect to “hire themselves out of the skill shortage,” she says, and it’s clear that employees are eager for upskilling and reskilling opportunities to meet those skills gaps.

“It’s not about adding more tools to the toolbox. Focus more on what really matters to employees, candidates, and talent you want to attract and retain. Equip your managers with the tools and skills they need to tailor their career conversations with their staff to create more personalized experience. Invest in advanced tools, such as AI-enabled skills management and talent marketplace platform, etc., to help employees own their skills and career development journey. And adopt agile learning and build a continuous learning culture,” she says.

Developing strong internal training programs will be crucial moving forward as we see accelerated adoption of AI tools. With CIOs considered key players in setting workforce AI training agendas, it’s important to consider how these programs are developed to ensure you’re offering the right platforms and approaches for your employees, who appear eager to upskill on AI but want accessible, robust training programs to get there.