SumTotal Systems, a Skillsoft company and global leader in talent acquisition, onboarding, learning management, and talent management solutions, has today released the findings of new research, revealing that 65 per cent of learning and development (L&D) professionals are concerned about their organisation’s ability to meet skills demand over the next 24 months, given the current UK economic outlook.
The study, carried out at Learning Technologies 2022, found that 60 per cent of respondents are expecting new recruitment challenges to emerge in the UK due to global political unrest. For more than half (55 per cent) of respondents, economic uncertainty has forced their organisations to adapt recruitment processes.While 64 per cent of respondents believe the pandemic made the digital skills gap in the UK slightly or significantly better, just 12 per cent of organisations are very prepared and 26 per cent somewhat prepared if skills shortages worsen post-pandemic. As a result, more than one-quarter of organisations describe their outlook for talent management in a post-pandemic business landscape as one of “continued uncertainty.”
The survey closely examined the impact of the pandemic on L&D priorities and recruitment strategies. Additional key findings include:
– 55 per cent said their organisations have experienced greater difficulty with recruitment since the pandemic.
– 56 per cent delayed hiring decisions due to the pandemic; 17 per cent delayed most hiring decisions and just 36 per cent stated hiring decisions were unaffected.
– Of those that delayed hiring decisions, 27 per cent have already made them and 37 per cent are making them now, while 36 per cent either expect to make them in the next 3-12 month, or don’t know.
– 63 per cent now place more focus on workforce planning and development compared to pre-pandemic.
“The opinions and experiences of L&D professionals are an important reflection of a range of crucial business trends, and their concerns underline the continuing impact of skills shortages on UK plc,” commented Ian Rawlings, RVP EMEA at SumTotal. “And while it’s clear the pandemic had a significant impact on both L&D and recruitment, organisations are now also focused on meeting a range of new challenges. The ability of L&D teams to adapt will play a key role in determining which employers attract, develop, and retain the talent they need to succeed.”
SumTotal’s survey was conducted in person at Learning Technologies on 4 May 2022, yielding 150 responses from UK Learning and Development professionals. All participants were attendees of the event, and responses were tabulated using Google Forms.
For more info go here: https://www.sumtotalsystems.com/resources/views-on-the-post-covid-talent-landscape-pg10162a1
