Here are some recent statistics and trends in Learning & Development (L&D) from the United States and Canada that may surprise L&D professionals:
- Upskilling and Reskilling: Skills development is a top priority for most organizations in 2023, addressing the growing skills gap due to technology adoption and disruption.
- Microlearning: Microlearning is increasingly popular for corporate employees, allowing them to learn at the moment of need.
- Data-Driven Learning: Learning Management Systems (LMSs) are becoming more adept at collecting, analyzing, and suggesting actions based on data.
- User-Generated Content: Employees show a preference for learning from colleagues, leading to an increase in user-generated content in L&D.
- Extended Reality (XR) in Training: Virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) are expected to be more prevalent in training.
- Learning on Demand: Asynchronous, on-demand learning is crucial, especially in a hybrid work environment.
- L&D Budget Increases: Nearly half of companies (49%) increased their L&D budget in 2022 compared to 2021.
- Shift in Job Satisfaction Factors: Relationships with managers and co-workers now rank lowest in job satisfaction factors, with compensation topping the list.
- Decreased Socialization at Work: 63% of employees experiencing high turnover agree that it has become less worthwhile to socialize with co-workers.
- Employee Performance and Retention: Organizations that effectively connect employees to their culture can increase performance by up to 37% and retention by 36%.
- Growing Learning Culture: 64% of L&D professionals observed stronger learning cultures in their organizations over the past year.
- Decreased Learning Engagement: Attitudes towards learning have reached their lowest point in three years, with decreased engagement in digital learning.
- Increased Focus on Personal Development: The motivation for employee learning has shifted significantly towards personal development, from 20% in 2018 to 57% in 2021.
- Frustration with Workplace Technology: 91% of employees are frustrated with work tech, and 57% feel that legacy tech hinders their work.
- Difficulty Locating Digital Documents: Over half of employees (56%) have struggled to find digital documents while working remotely.
- Managerial Reluctance Impeding L&D: 84% of employees are concerned that managerial reluctance to embrace new learning and working methods is holding back L&D teams.
- Workplace Emotional Detachment: 60% of people feel emotionally detached at work, with 19% admitting to feeling miserable.
- Impact of Financial Stress: 21% of employees lost motivation due to financial stress, and some are seeking better-paid roles or additional employment as a result.
- Wellbeing and Employee Loyalty: 75% of employees are likely to be loyal to an employer who shows a strong commitment to wellbeing.
- 4-Day Work Week Attraction: 63% of businesses found it easier to attract talent with a 4-day work week, and 78% felt happier and less stressed.
- Feedback Mechanisms: Only 14% of people believe their employer uses feedback effectively to drive change.
- Openness to Ideas: 38% of employees feel their company is rarely or never open to their ideas, indicating a gap in feedback collection and usage.
- People Development Focus: 65% of HR Directors state that people development has been at a three-year low as a key HR focus.
- Accurate Job Descriptions and Onboarding: 20% of employees felt misled by their original job listing, and a quarter felt let down by poor onboarding experiences.
These findings reflect the dynamic and evolving nature of L&D, highlighting the increasing importance of personal development, technology integration, and the psychological wellbeing of employees in workplace learning environments.
