Workplace demands are developing faster than new skills, reveals new report

A new report launched today by Lepaya, Europe’s leading people development company, reveals that 82% of employees believe that workforce demands are developing faster than their skills. The Evolution of Skills 2030 report highlights that rapid advances in emerging technology like AI mean that a large number of employees (40%) now cite advances in technology as the biggest influence on evolving workplace skills, with HR leaders increasingly shifting to a focus on ‘intentional learning’ that prioritises personal growth and adaptability. 

As technology continues to rapidly change the face of the workplace, the average lifespan of skills is now just 2.5 years. With the economy at a key turning point in the implementation of emerging technologies, those businesses without the relevant, modern skillsets are increasingly vulnerable to layoffs and burnout due to widening skills gaps. 

 In the Evolution of Skills 2030 report, 35% of HR, L&D and business leaders cited digital and AI transformation as the biggest challenge facing businesses, with talent retention (27%) and changes in customer priorities (24%) following closely. These challenges require a new approach to upskilling and talent development, with the report revealing that Creative Thinking, Resilience Skills and Basic AI Proficiency are some amongst the top skills of the future that HR leaders should be focussing on in an effort to manage new workplace challenges. 

“Organisations need to adapt to a new reality that, with advances in new technology such as AI continuing to gather pace, the shelf-life of some skills is rapidly decreasing,” said René Janssen, CEO and Founder of Lepaya.

“In order to catch-up with advances in the workplace, organisations need to be more intentional with their training programmes to remain resilient and agile. Organisations that adopt a mindset of continuous learning and invest in future-proof skills will not only navigate change more effectively but will turn disruption into opportunity.” 

Lepaya’s research shows that intentional learning, a type of training which enables employees to reflect on and transfer acquired skills in a constantly evolving environment, has grown in popularity each year since 2022. Intentional training was the second most trained skill in the first six months of 2024 with over 6,000 hours of training spanning the 500+ businesses whose data was analysed. As a large percentage of the workforce adapts to new technology, this training trend shows that HR leaders are pivoting to take a proactive approach to upskilling and training their talent to self-identify and develop the specific skills they need to adopt new technology. 

 The Evolution of Skills 2030 report combines insights from over 100 of Europe’s leading HR professionals with analysis of three-years of consecutive Lepaya research since 2022 to piece together key upskilling and workforce trends. The report reveals the evolution of workforce skills, key skills gaps, and what HR leaders believe are the key jobs of the future based on skills and training and can be accessed in full here. 

As HR and L&D leaders work to navigate an evolving work environment, the lack of insights into existing skills, and the reliance on isolated upskilling tactics, prevent them from effectively bridging skills gaps. To support businesses in overcoming these issues, Lepaya is also introducing The Capability Platform, designed to tackle one of the most pressing challenges HR and L&D leaders face: the disconnect between organisational needs, skills insights, and human capital management. The platform marks the latest evolution in Lepaya’s mission to equip HR and L&D leaders with the tools to make workforce development a true catalyst for business success.

Businesses can sign up to be Beta testers and co-design the platform together here.

About Lepaya  

Lepaya is Europe’s leading people’s development company that takes a strategic and scalable approach to workplace learning through its global upskilling academies for every career level. Founded by René Janssen and Peter Kuperus in 2018 with the perspective that the right training, at the right time, focused on the right skill, makes organizations productive and enables overall business growth.  

As a leader in a fragmented corporate upskilling market that represents an USD 800B opportunity according to Morgan Stanley, Lepaya responds to the upskilling needs of global enterprises and fast-growing companies, such as Roche, ING, Microsoft, Dell, Freundenberg, Just-Eat-Take-away. Lepaya supports millions of professionals by combining hard skills with soft skills via an AI-powered capability platform.  

  Lepaya is backed by Endeit, Educapital, Target Global, Mediahuis Ventures, and Tablomonto. It has made 4 acquisitions: SmartenUp (2020), vCoach (2022), SpeakFirst (2022) and Krauthammer (2023). The company has raised USD 80 million to date.  

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