University of Phoenix announced findings from its Future of Skills Development report, new research conducted online by The Harris Poll examining how HR leaders are navigating skills development, workforce readiness and rapidly changing workforce demands. The findings reveal a significant skills visibility gap. Nearly two-thirds of HR leaders (64%) are very confident they know which specific skills employees need to do their jobs, yet only 43% are very confident employees actually possess those skills.
As AI, automation and emerging technologies reshape roles and workflows, the findings suggest that organizations face a dual challenge: understanding how skill requirements are changing and gaining clearer visibility into the capabilities employees already have.
"AI is accelerating how quickly work and skill requirements evolve, but this is not a choice between technical expertise and human capabilities," said Nathan Jones, vice president of Product Management, Workforce Solutions Group at University of Phoenix. "Organizations need a clearer view of the skills they have, the skills they need and where gaps are emerging. Employees need that visibility as well — clearer signals about what to develop next and credible ways to demonstrate what they can do. The opportunity is to make skills more visible, measurable and connected to the work that actually needs to get done."
AI is increasing uncertainty about future workforce skills
Keeping pace with technological advances, including AI and other emerging technologies, is the single greatest source of uncertainty when HR leaders plan for future workforce skills needs, cited by 27% of respondents. Only 46% are very confident they can predict the skills employees will need two to three years from now.
At the same time, organizations are prioritizing a mix of capabilities. Nearly 3 in 5 HR leaders (59%) say soft or durable skills such as communication, collaboration and problem-solving are their organization's primary talent development focus, compared with 37% who identify technical skills as the primary focus.
"AI can change the tools people use and the tasks within a role, but technology does not eliminate the need for judgment, communication, problem-solving and adaptability," Jones said. "The workforce conversation needs to move beyond technical skills versus durable skills. Increasingly, people need both."