Workplace Learning Report 2020

2020 Workplace Learning Report

L&D in a new decade:
Taking the strategic long view

Learning is more important today than ever before

Today, L&D has a unique opportunity to help teams strengthen their skills—and find resilience—in the middle of unprecedented change.

This report can help inform your engagement strategies, and gives you actionable takeaways from effectively tapping managers to upskilling and reskilling your workforce.

In our fourth annual survey, 6,607 professionals spanning 18 countries revealed their priorities, challenges, and inspirations. What we found will surprise you.

L&D professionals

Learners

Managers

L&D budgets continue to grow, but executive championship remains a challenge

Blue chart showing that 37% of L&D pros expect to increase their budget

For the third year in a row, more than a third of L&D pros expect to increase their budget.

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For the third year in a row, more than a third of L&D pros expect to increase their budget.

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of L&D pros expect to spend more on online learning.

Illustration of three office workers working together at their desks.

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Executives support learning, but championship is the next opportunity to drive engagement

83% of L&D pros say their executives support employee learning

But only

27% of L&D pros say their CEOs are active champions of learning

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Chart showing 83% completed and 27% completed, with an illustration of two business people shaking hands.

83% of L&D pros say their executives support employee learning

But only

27% of L&D pros say their CEOs are active champions of learning

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Kevin Delaney, VP of Learning & Development at LinkedIn, sits smiling with a laptop in his lap

When it comes to activating executives, I approach them the same way I approach anyone else. I ask them to share their excitement about what they’re learning. That energy is what inspires people to learn.

Kevin Delaney
VP, Learning & Development, LinkedIn

The Takeaway

Want to increase learner engagement in 2020? Spend more time communicating with executives, and get them to champion employee learning. According to the survey results, L&D pros only spend 9% of their time championing learning programs to executives.

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Communicating to Drive Action
Alexia Vernon helps you develop the mindset and skills needed to see results.

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Standards for measuring learner engagement are still unestablished

Increasing learner engagement tops the priority list of L&D pros globally and in the US, but other countries have different top priorities.

US
Increasing learner engagement

Canada
Evaluating the impact of learning

UK
Identifying, tracking, and closing skills gaps

Flag icons from Germany India, and New Zealand

Germany, India, and Australia
Enabling self-directed learning with online learning solutions

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Illustration of three businesspeople working at a table together.

L&D professionals define engaged learners in several different ways, in rank order:

Course completions

Learner satisfaction surveys

Minutes of learning
per month

Repeat visits
(2x) per month

24%, illustration of a woman making a point, next to a table

of L&D pros don’t currently measure learning engagement.

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of L&D pros don’t currently measure learning engagement.

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To effectively measure the impact of learning, we do the work on the front end, really understanding our goals and the business problem that we’re trying to solve. Then, it’s easy to later understand how learning has impacted outcomes.

Lou Tedrick
VP, Global Learning and Development, Verizon

The Takeaway

Course completions are the most common way of measuring an engaged learner. Explore a variety of ways to measure engagement, such as repeat visits, frequency of visits, or time spent learning.

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Josh Bersin sits, smiling, in a modern office

People Analytics
Josh Bersin explains people analytics, a powerful tool for tackling challenges with talent.

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Tap managers to drive engagement and create a culture of learning

Activating managers is the #1 challenge being tackled this year
Of all the hurdles to jump, these were the top L&D priorities

Getting managers to make learning a priority

Creating a culture of learning

Increasing learner engagement

Teaching employees technology effectiveness

According to LinkedIn Learning data, managers spend 30% more time learning soft skills than the average learner.

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30%, Illustration of two business people stand talking at a table

Illustration of two business people stand talking at a table

According to LinkedIn Learning data, managers spend 30% more time learning soft skills than the average learner.

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Employees love recognition from their manager—especially younger learners
Percentage of learners who would spend more time learning if it was recognized by their manager

Green graph showing 44% of Gen Z, age 22 and under, would spend more time learning if it was recognized by their manager

Gen Z - 44%
under 22 years

Green graph showing 36% of Millennials, ages 22 to 37, would spend more time learning if it was recognized by their manager

Millennials - 36%
22 - 37 years

Gen X - 28%
38 - 53 years

Green graph showing 21% of Baby Boomers, ages 54 to 72, would spend more time learning if it was recognized by their manager

Boomers - 21%
54 - 72 years

Video still of two business people talking in front of a laptop.

Watch how Kellogg’s shifted their budgets to online learning and created a thriving culture of learning.

Pamay Bassey, Chief Learning Officer at Kraft Heinz, in a blue top smiles

L&D’s value proposition includes a 3-part expectation from all employees: First, seek out high impact learning experiences. Second, commit to a learning practice. And, the third, encourage others to do the same. If managers and leaders commit to those three things every day, then they can transform a learning culture.

Pamay Bassey
Chief Learning Officer, Kraft Heinz

The Takeaway

Set managers up for success with tools and templates. Friendly competitions and recognizing accomplishments can contribute to a strong learning culture, which motivates employees to keep engaging.

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Two men in grey t-shirts that say "Boom." smile at the camera.

Tactics for Learner Engagement
Learning leaders Naphtali Bryant and Jason Mulero show you how to inspire "boom" moments for your learners.

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Digital transformation has inspired an upskilling and reskilling revolution

L&D is increasingly focused on building new skills to prepare for what’s ahead
In 2020, the fast pace of technology change is causing L&D pros to focus on helping employees build new skills. Surprisingly, nearly half of them plan on reskilling a portion of their workforce this year.

of L&D pros plan to launch upskilling programs in 2020

of L&D pros plan to launch upskilling programs

Illustration of a group watching a power-point presentation.

Upskilling: learning new skills within the same job function

of L&D pros plan to launch reskilling programs in the future

of L&D pros plan to launch reskilling programs

Illustration of office workers work together at a desk.

Reskilling: learning new skills for a different job function

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How do L&D pros identify which skills are most important for employees to learn?

US, Germany & Canada
Receive recommendations from business leads and managers

UK
Monitor business KPIs and key metrics

India & Australia
Identify emerging industry trends

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Soft skills will reign supreme in 2020 and beyond
While the shelf life of technical skills is relatively short, soft skills are always necessary, regardless of an employee’s functional role or how the technology landscape evolves.

Highest priority skills:

Bar graph showing that Leadership & management is a high-priority skill for 57% of respondents.

Leadership & management - 57%

Bar graph showing that Creative problem solving & design thinking is a high-priority skill for 42% of respondents.

Creative problem solving & design thinking - 42%

Bar graph showing that Communication is a high-priority skill for 40% of respondents.

Communication - 40%

Lowest priority skills:

Bar graph showing that Mobile computing & development is a high-priority skill for only 9% of respondents.

Mobile computing & development - 9%

Bar graph showing that engineering & coding is a high-priority skill for only 8% of respondents

Engineering & coding - 8%

Bar graph showing that computing is a high-priority skill for only 8% of respondents.

Cloud computing - 8%

Illustration of a large clock above two office workers who sit and talk on a couch.

Video still of a woman wearing a nametag, helping a man

See how MGM Resorts International is upskilling their frontline workers and growing their careers.

L&D’s upskilling and reskilling programs should always be tied to key business priorities. We have two: 1) attracting and retaining the best talent and 2) building the capabilities needed to support the strategy. To help us be effective, we have started to embed learning leads into our strategy teams so that we can identify the skills we’ll need several years out and create a plan on how to close them.

Simon Brown
Chief Learning Officer, Novartis

The Takeaway

The numbers are in. Check out the top 5 soft skills and top 10 hard skills that companies need most to understand where to focus your upskilling and reskilling strategies. Read blog post.

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Digital Transformation for Learners
Learn what digital transformation is and how you can help your organization navigate its challenges and opportunities.

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4th Annual 2020 Workplace Learning Report cover photo, L&D in a new decade, featuring a businesswoman's head-shot and an illustration of people walking with their cell phones.

Ready to dive into the report or explore how LinkedIn Learning can help you get ahead of these industry trends?

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