State of Learning and Development in 2021
2020 has been an unpredictable year full of upsets and pivots. Organizations all over the world have used learning as a way to navigate these changes. As the year comes to a close, many learning and development (L&D) leaders are asking: What will workplace learning look like in 2021? We surveyed over 500 global experts to understand what L&D professionals can expect in the new year. Closing the skills gap is more urgent than ever Though closing the skills gap has long been a priority for many organizations, in 2020 it took on a new urgency. Companies leveraged upskilling and reskilling to adapt to the changes imposed by the pandemic. While 14% of the global workforce was upskilled in 2019, that figure more than doubled in 2020, with over a third of the workforce (38%) upskilled. This dramatic increase is a remarkable feat for L&D professionals around the world. It’s also a challenge in its own right. Closing the skills gap was the number one L&D program goal identif