While L&D pros may have more C-suite access and influence than in previous years, L&D efforts are moving “at a snail’s pace,” according to LinkedIn’s 2023 Workplace Learning Report.
“Their influence in the C-suite continues to rise, and executives seem newly aware of the competitive advantage that comes with an engaged, adaptable, and growth-minded workforce,” LinkedIn said in a Feb. 15 blog post announcing the report.
But skill needs are changing rapidly and employers may not be proactively building their organizations to reflect that reality, LinkedIn said. Since 2015, skill sets for jobs have changed around 25%, and that number is expected to double by 2027. But employers face a steep “maturity curve” regarding their programs; 40% of companies surveyed are still in the early stages of building an upskilling program, and 54% are at the middle stage (developing and activating programs).
Luckily for L&D pros, the percentage of learning leaders working closely with leaders has grown “significantly” year over year, pointing to L&D’s growing influence in organizations, LinkedIn noted.
Creating a culture of learning is a large priority for learning leaders this year, LinkedIn said — and that is how L&D leaders can maintain investment even as recessionary concerns come knocking, other experts have said. L&D is increasingly key to employee retention, but to maintain influence, learning leaders need to ensure they have both the ear of the C-suite and of local leaders.
To that end, LinkedIn suggests that learning leaders build stronger relationships with the talent acquisition team as well as other aspects of HR, including employee engagement and diversity, equity and inclusion.
One buzzword — “quiet hiring,” otherwise known as internal mobility — reflects exactly how talent acquisition and L&D can work together. Employers have been reluctant to perform massive layoffs amid recession rumors, instead pivoting to developing talent internally to fill gaps and build organizational agility.
