Only 17% of workers say employers invest in skills for career growth, reveals ADP's latest study
A new report from ADP Research reveals that skills development plays a crucial role in workforce productivity, retention, and employer reputation.
The People at Work 2025 report shows that only 24 percent of workers worldwide feel confident they have the skills needed to advance to the next job level.
Meanwhile, just 17 percent strongly agree their employers invest in the skills necessary for career progression.
According to ADP’s chief economist, Nela Richardson, “Our research shows that a skilled workforce is more loyal to their employers—and more productive.”
She noted that only a small fraction of workers are upskilled within two years of being hired. Richardson emphasized that for companies to benefit from future technological advancements, they need to invest in their workers' skills and career progression.
The analysis highlights that career advancement ranks as a top factor for employee retention, second only to flexible scheduling.
Workers who believe their employer supports their skills development are:
- Nearly six times more likely to recommend their company as a great workplace.
- 3.3 times more likely to describe themselves as highly productive.
- Twice as likely to state they have no intent to leave their organisation.
The report identifies a significant gap in skills development for cyclical workers, who perform repetitive tasks. Only 9 percent of men and 7 percent of women in this group feel satisfied with their employer’s upskilling efforts.
ADP Research examined skills confidence and employer investment across global regions.
Workers in the Middle East and Africa reported the highest confidence in their ability to advance (38 percent), followed by Latin America (32 percent), North America (22 percent), Asia-Pacific (21 percent), and Europe (17 percent).
Employer investment levels were also highest in the Middle East and Africa, where 28 percent of workers said their employers supported their skills development. This was followed by North America (18 percent), Latin America and Asia-Pacific (17 percent each), and Europe (12 percent).
At the country level, Nigerian workers were most confident in their skills to advance (45 percent), followed by Egypt (44 percent), South Africa (42 percent), India and Brazil (37 percent each), Saudi Arabia (36 percent), and Chile (32 percent).
Egyptian workers also reported the highest levels of employer investment in skills development (35 percent), followed by India (32 percent), South Africa (29 percent), Saudi Arabia (28 percent), and Nigeria (27 percent).
ADP Research’s People at Work 2025 report series builds on its Global Workforce Survey, conducted annually since 2015.
The refreshed report incorporates data from nearly 38,000 workers across 34 markets and segments respondents by worker type—knowledge, skilled task, or cyclical—regardless of industry.
Richardson stated, “The new People at Work series format enables a more focused analysis of the data by topic and region, better ensuring worldwide business leaders with varying needs are provided with the same level of actionable research on a wide range of subjects impacting their employees.”
The first instalment of the report series underscores the untapped potential of skills development in driving workforce success.
Mary Hayes, research director of People and Performance at ADP Research, stated, “We found that education is not enough to fill the skills gap. Only 24 percent of workers are confident that they have the skills needed to advance in the next three years of their careers. The world of work is changing at light speed, and organizations need to do their part to close the skills gap.”
