U.S. Employers Need to Become Pro-active in Assisting Workers Upgrade Skills

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Global Career Compass

This interesting study reveals that no matter how well prepared employees believe they are as a result of being hired, they cannot count on their employer to do a good job of providing on-the-job skills training which would create conditions for promotion and advancement.

The majority (55 percent) of workers in the U.S. report they are under pressure to develop additional skills to be successful in their current and future jobs, but only 21 percent say they have acquired new skills through company-provided formal training during the past five years, according to a study released today by Accenture (NYSE: ACN).

The Accenture Skills Gap Study, which surveyed 1,088 employed and unemployed U.S. workers, found that while more than half (52 percent) have added technology skills in the past five years, few have updated other in-demand skills such as problem solving (31 percent), analytical skills (26 percent) and managerial skills (21 percent).

“There is an escalating talent crisis and employers should not assume that workers have the resources or knowledge to acquire all the skills they will need, “said David Smith, managing director—Accenture Talent & Organization. “Our study shows that workers are prepared to improve and expand their skills, but they’re not receiving sufficient support to develop those skills. In addition to investing in training, employers will have to become more transparent about their talent requirements and more creative about leveraging the skills they already have within their organizations.”

See the study at: http://newsroom.accenture.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=5343