Learning demand soars, but L&D leaders are burned out

Dive Brief:

Learning is in high demand, putting "overwhelming" workloads on learning leaders, according to LinkedIn's 2022 Workplace Learning report. Every type of learning program LinkedIn tracked for the study saw increases in expected deployments in 2022, reflecting the growing workload for learning leaders.
Demand for L&D specialists rose in the second half of 2021 by 94% compared to the first half, the report noted. Additionally, almost half of L&D leaders surveyed said they expected bigger budgets in 2022, a six-year high for the report. But reflecting that workload, L&D leaders reported notably less time for their own learning; compared to other colleagues in HR, L&D leaders spent 35% less time on personal development in 2021.
To ameliorate some of these issues, the report suggests learning leaders should focus on cross-functional partnerships, particularly with other aspects of HR, like talent acquisition and people analytics.

Dive Insight:

Last year's LinkedIn Learning report showcased L&D's proven value throughout the pandemic. 2022 may prove that learning investment is here for the long haul.

While leaders were concerned about budget cuts toward the beginning of the pandemic, L&D budgets actually increased over the course of the pandemic, according to a joint TalentLMS and Society for Human Resource Management survey. More than two-thirds of those surveyed said they expected the trend to continue in 2022.

Burnout is a serious concern across the HR profession, however. February results of a survey published by anonymous reporting service AllVoices indicated that half of all HR pros said they were burned out — and 72% of that share were looking for a new job. HR managers are stressed by implementation of leadership's goals, the survey noted. This trend may hold true for L&D leaders as well, who have been relied upon to help their organizations adapt to change, the LinkedIn report said.

But burnout is a story across the workforce, and that could impact learning at all levels of an organization. To ensure continued success, L&D leaders may need to ease expectations on employees regarding their development in order to keep people engaged in L&D, experts previously told HR Dive.