Talent Development News

Learning hours rise for the first time in five years while spend per person falls by a third

ATD's annual benchmark records average formal learning hours per employee rising to 16.7 in 2025, after five consecutive years of decline — the 2024 figure was 13.7. Direct spend, however, fell sharply, from $1,254 to $846 per person. ATD attributes the divergence to three causes: virtual instructor-led classrooms cutting travel cost, smaller TD headcount reducing salary expense, and automated administration.

• 16,7formal learning hours per person, 2025
• 13,7hours in 2024 — a five-year low
• 846$direct spend per person, down from $1,254

Vietnam shifts focus from qualifications to occupational skills

A policy direction shifting emphasis from academic qualifications to occupational skills, practical capability, adaptability and work performance, alongside lifelong learning so workers retrain regularly. A related priority is moving labour from low-productivity activity into higher-productivity work, tied to growth corridors and projects applying advanced technology.

The digital economy programme targets training over 3 million workers by 2030

The 2026–2030 digital economy and digital society programme targets training over three million workers and developing 100,000 digital technology enterprises by 2030. The backdrop is a wide skills gap: the share of workers holding a recognised qualification remains low, while demand for digital and technical talent far exceeds supply.

• 3 triệuworkers targeted for training by 2030
• 100.000digital technology enterprises targeted

A tech-first approach to AI is 1.6× more likely to miss its expected return

Surveying over 9,000 business and HR leaders across 89 countries, Deloitte finds 59% of organisations taking a technology-centred approach to AI — and that group is 1.6× more likely to miss expected returns than those taking a human-centred approach. The report names three tipping points: integrating humans and machines rather than placing them side by side, shifting focus from cost reduction to value creation, and replacing static planning with real-time capability orchestration. Seven in ten leaders name speed and agility as their main competitive advantage for the next three years.

• 1,6×more likely to miss expectations, tech-first approach
• 59%of organisations take a tech-first approach
• 9.000+leaders surveyed across 89 countries

The global reskilling initiative reaches 850 million people, heading for a billion

The World Economic Forum reports its Reskilling Revolution initiative has reached over 850 million people, approaching its target of a billion with better access to skills, education and economic opportunity. More than 25 technology companies have pledged to support 120 million workers with AI access, skills training and job pathways. Alongside digital skills such as AI, big data and technological literacy, business leaders place strong emphasis on human attributes: leadership, curiosity and resilience.

• 850 triệupeople reached by the initiative
• 120 triệuworkers pledged support by 25+ technology companies

Seven in ten multitask during training — the highest in three years

Surveying 1,000 US full-time employees who received training in the past twelve months plus 101 HR managers, TalentLMS records 70% of learners multitasking during training — the highest in three years of tracking. The stated cause is plain: half of HR managers and 53% of employees name workload as what limits time for learning. Satisfaction with training nonetheless rose to 84%, and 79% of companies report moving to skills-based hiring and development.

• 70%of learners multitask during training
• 53%of employees say workload limits learning time
• 79%of companies moving to a skills-based approach

Capability, not access, decides whether AI creates impact

Josh Bersin calls 2026 the year of enterprise AI and describes a shift from assistants to agents to full solutions. His central claim: what decides whether AI creates impact is capability, not access — the organisations winning are not those with the most tools but those being honest about what they are training for.

Learning has become a condition of staying, not a perk

LinkedIn Learning's annual report finds that providing learning is the most-cited retention strategy, against a backdrop of 88% of organisations worried about retention. Analyst Josh Bersin sums up the employee stance in a sentence: they expect an employer to help them keep up, and if not, they will go elsewhere.

• 88%of organisations concerned about retention

By 2030: 170 million new roles, 92 million displaced

The foundational report most future-of-work presentations cite. By 2030, technology is projected to create around 170 million new roles and displace around 92 million existing ones — a net gain of 78 million. The more striking figure sits in the skills section: 59 of every 100 workers globally will need reskilling or upskilling before 2030, and 11 of those are unlikely to receive it — over 120 million people facing medium-term redundancy risk.

• 59/100workers needing reskilling before 2030
• 11/100unlikely to receive it
• 170 triệunew roles, against 92 million displaced