A Majority of the Global Workforce Is Ready to Shift Jobs and Develop Skills in Response to Globalization and Technology Changes

Perceptions of Megatrends’ Impact on Their Jobs Lead 65% of People to Devote Significant Effort to Upskilling; 67% Also Would Reskill for a New Job, According to a Study of 366,000 in 197 Countries by BCG and The Network

A majority of people worldwide believe that global megatrends greatly affect their jobs, a belief that leads 65% to devote significant time each year to refining their skills and 67% to say that they are willing to reskill for a different job role, according to a new study by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and The Network.

Across the globe, people are aware of how work is changing, with an average of 61% saying that they believe their current jobs will be greatly affected by megatrends, specifically technology changes such as automation, artificial intelligence, and robotics and globalization, including trade and outsourcing. Respondents who feel the most affected by megatrends come from several African countries, Japan, and some Mediterranean countries. Respondents who feel the least affected live in some Central American countries, the UK, and China.

Attitudes toward megatrends appear to have a bearing on work-related learning, with 65% of people worldwide saying they devote a significant amount of time each year to training on new skills to stay relevant in their jobs. However, substantial geographical differences exist in the amount of time that people spend on skill building (please refer to exhibit 4).

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Respondents in China, Nigeria, Egypt, and Kenya lead the way in time devoted to learning. By contrast, respondents in Western Europe and North America don’t invest as much time in developing their skills; Germany, France, UK, Canada, and US are some of the more notable countries where residents are less willing to spend significant time on learning.

“The geographic differences in how much time people spend on learning are striking,” said Rainer Strack, a BCG senior partner and coauthor of the report. “In Germany, only 38% of respondents spend a few weeks or more per year developing their skills, whereas in China, the number is more than 80%. Companies and governments in countries where people are less willing to learn need to take a more active role to address this challenge and support continuous learning for their workforces.”

In addition to upskilling for a current job, 67% of respondents worldwide are open to reskilling for a new job under any circumstances, and 29% would reskill if they encountered serious roadblocks in a job search. Only 3% would completely refuse to reskill to make themselves more attractive for a new job. As with upskilling, willingness to reskill varies by region. Respondents in Latin American countries such as Mexico and Columbia are among the readiest to pick up skills in order to switch jobs, while respondents in Central and Eastern Europe, such as Poland, Germany, and Russia, are among the least willing.

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“Both upskilling and reskilling are important ways to prepare for job changes, and we have seen some differences in how people apply these techniques,” said Pierre Antebi, managing director of The Network and a coauthor of the report. “For example, people in services, administration, and manufacturing jobs are the most open to developing skills to switch jobs. On the other hand, respondents in high-skilled job roles like analytics, IT, and science are less open to reskilling for a new job but spend a lot of time developing skills to be better at their current field.”

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