Gap between goals and skills

Based on a survey of more than 2,100 full-time employees in the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany, the findings reveal that less than half (48%) of respondents have been informed of their organizations’ strategic goals and priorities for the coming year. Of those that have been informed, only 40% say they are extremely clear about their role in achieving these goals, and just a third believe their skills strongly align with them.

Respondents said improving operational efficiency (48%), increasing revenue and profitability (46%), and enhancing the customer experience (39%) are their organization’s top priorities for 2025. The lowest priorities are strengthening data privacy and security practices (17%), closing skill gaps (19%), and improving leadership and management (19%). With this in mind, the top three challenges respondents expect their organization to face next year are talent acquisition and retention (31%), meeting customer expectations and satisfaction (28%), and effective leadership and management (27%). Nearly one-in-four (23%) also anticipate skill and competency gaps.

“Boosting operational efficiency, revenue, and customer satisfaction should undoubtedly be business priorities. However, it is nearly impossible to deliver on these goals without first breaking them down into measurable actions, clearly communicating these actions to their entire workforce early and often, and providing an environment where employees can develop new skills in service of this strategy,” said Ciara Harrington, Chief People Officer, Skillsoft. "By creating a strong foundation of talent through training and a consistent strategy communications plan, employees will be better prepared to adapt, innovate, and contribute to their organization’s long-term success."

From rapid technological advancements to a new U.S. presidential administration on the horizon, the workplace will continue to shift in 2025, leading to just 23% of respondents saying they feel extremely prepared to handle future work-related challenges. Contributing to this uncertainty, a fifth of respondents identified the lack of training and skill development opportunities as their primary work-related challenge in the past year. Less than a third (31%) said they had received new training and upskilling opportunities or access to new technologies (e.g. GenAI tools) to achieve their professional goals.

To feel more prepared, respondents are primarily seeking personalized, role-based training options, more frequent and updated training, and access to mentoring and coaching. Beyond preparedness, respondents also saw stronger relationships with colleagues, increased confidence in tackling new challenges, and enhanced creativity and problem-solving skills after training and upskilling.

"Access to training and new technologies nurtures continuous learning and adaptability, empowering employees to tackle future challenges,” Harrington continued. “An investment in talent is an investment in the future of your company and its competitive edge."

Clear communication of goals and priorities is essential for organizations to foster workforce confidence and eliminate uncertainty.

Only 25% of respondents are extremely satisfied with their current roles, with those most dissatisfied pointing to feeling unprepared for future challenges (86%) and a lack of visibility into organizational goals (43%). Just 21% of respondents are extremely satisfied with the overall culture of their organization.

Gen Z respondents expressed greater feelings of workplace dissatisfaction (25%) compared to other age groups.

54% of respondents who are dissatisfied with their current roles are somewhat or extremely unsatisfied with company culture.

A majority (81%) of respondents dissatisfied with their role believe their skills are misaligned with their organizations’ strategic priorities.

 Burnout and exhaustion (39%), decreased motivation/engagement (35%), and overwhelming workload and responsibilities (35%) were respondents' top work-related challenges over the past year. Investing in talent development can help build important time management skills while also providing another opportunity to engage and motivate the workforce.

The result of the U.S. presidential election has myriad expected impacts on the workplace.

73% of respondents expect the results of the recent U.S. presidential election to have a slight to extreme degree of impact on their organization for the coming year.

 Respondents anticipate a positive impact on areas including employee development and career pathing (71%) and the use of AI tools in the workplace (69%).

 Respondents anticipate a negative impact on areas including regulatory compliance requirements (35%) and employee morale and engagement (34%).

Respondents in management and leadership roles share similar sentiments about expected impact of the U.S. presidential election, though managers believe it will have the biggest negative impact on employee development and career pathing.