The 2022 Workplace Learning Report by LinkedIn Learning has discovered that there has been a 94% increase in demand for L&D professionals over the past year. Similarly, L&D professionals reported that they expected to see increases to their budgets in the coming year with 57% of those in Asia Pacific believing so—the highest percentage worldwide.
It is unsurprising that the demand for talent development professionals has risen given the role they have played in helping workforces transition to new ways of working and adapting to online work environments. As such, L&D specialists will continue to influence how their organisations adapt to change with 72% of L&D leaders believing that it has become more strategic to their company whilst 87% felt as though learning had helped their organisation adapt to change.
Regional priorities
The survey conducted across North America, EMEA and APAC also examined the primary focus areas of L&D programmes in each region. In APAC, upskilling and reskilling were top of the list followed by leadership and management training and digital upskilling. In EMEA, the top three remained the same though leadership training pipped upskilling to the top of the focus list. Over in North America, ensuring talents are digital-ready did not appear on L&D professionals’ radar and was instead beat out by programmes focused on diversity, equity and inclusion.
As L&D leaders are placed at the forefront of organisational transformation, it is crucial that they understand the opportunities and challenges they are up against. As digital transformation intensifies, so too does the ever-widening skills gap. As development specialists take centre stage, it is equally important that they tackle silos, break down walls and think holistically so that the business can retain key talent. Furthermore, by collaborating with their HR peers and aligning stakeholder expectations, they can be sure to unlock the key to success for years to come.
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
