Outdated Skills Spark Worry Among Employed Americans, Survey Reveals

According to a survey of 2,000 employed Americans conducted by OnePoll for Colorado State University Global Campus, 25% of them are worried that they will lose their jobs next year or so. There are many factors that are the reason for this worry but some of the biggest factors are the job market (25%) and working in an industry that is unstable (22%). Some of the Americans surveyed also worry that they are not able to stay up-to-date with their profession and are falling behind. The respondents who thought so were 32%.

The survey also found out that 55% of Americans have been doing their jobs for many years and that’s why 54% of them feel like their profession or skills are too outdated. 64% of the Americans that were surveyed graduated in 2000s or earlier and that can be the reason why they think that their skills and professions are getting old. Nine in ten Americans admit the importance of learning new skills while 74% believe that by doing so they can prove themselves to be more valuable to their employers.

78% of the Americans who were surveyed want to learn new skills so they can be best in their field. When asked what learning new skills mean to the respondents, 35% said getting a completion certificate for the new skill they’ll learn while 25% are thinking about getting a new degree. 54% said that new skills are needed to work nowadays and the skills needed today to be successful in your field are completely different from what they were five years ago.

Even with skills, 37% believe that having a degree is still relevant, followed by 35% who believe in a professional license and 34% who think having a certificate is enough. The most important skills that a person needs in their profession according to respondents are leadership (18%), management (14%), and knowledge of AI (14%).

In the past five years, many Americans have tried to grow. Some have tried doing more work (42%), enhancing their skills (40%), working more than what their job title suggests (30%), doing another course (26%), self-studying (23%) and doing a new degree (10%). 82% of those who surveyed said that they would immediately agree on an upskilling opportunity if their workplace offers it to them.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World