9 in 10 Singaporean Professionals Find It Hard To Upskill Due to Work, Family Commitments
Learning new skills – or upskilling – is now more important than ever as the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) continues to threaten jobs. Unfortunately, many professionals are struggling to do so because of the commitments they have in their lives.
“According to LinkedIn data, skills needed for a job are expected to change by 50% on average by 2030, and emerging tech like generative AI is expected to accelerate this change to 72% in Singapore.,” said Pooja Chhabria, LinkedIn Career Expert and Head of Editorial APAC. “It is crucial that professionals put their focus on upskilling and learning to future-proof their careers.”
New research by the professional networking site finds that over 9 in 10 (95%) Singaporean professionals are finding it hard to prioritise learning due to work and family commitments. Some of the top barriers they cite include busy work schedules (44%), a lack of time due to family responsibilities or other personal commitments (37%) and lacking motivation to set aside the time (32%).
These numbers come in spite of more than half of the respondents (53%) saying their companies are doing enough to cultivate a culture of learning.
One solution to this problem is what’s called ‘Loud Learning’, the act of being vocal and intentional about one’s learning ambitions in the workplace. 6 in 10 professionals in Singapore believe this practice can help them allot time to upskill.
There are many ways Singaporeans can engage in ‘Loud Learning’. One such way is to share learnings with teammates, which close to half (47%) of the study’s respondents cite. Meanwhile, 45% of the respondents think that it helps to share their learning journeys or accomplishments on LinkedIn. 31% believe they must inform their team members of their learning time blocks.
LinkedIn’s study also finds that over 31% of professionals in Singapore are already engaging in ‘Loud Learning’.
About 60% of Singapore professionals say that seeing their peers engage in ‘Loud Learning’ will motivate them to do the same. In line with that, 34% think that they have a Learning BFF, a friend who supports and learns with them, which can make the whole learning experience more fun.
Moreover, the research shows that no less than 56% believe that engaging in ‘Loud Learning’ can support their career growth. Some of the benefits include providing opportunities for mentorship and guidance from experienced professionals (31%), increased satisfaction and fulfilment about their career (29%) and opening doors to new career opportunities or advancement (29%).
The research was conducted by Censuswide, who surveyed a total of 1006 professionals in full-time or part-time employment across Singapore between 24 May to 31 May 2024.
LinkedIn is leveraging AI to help professionals accelerate their learning journeys. Its new AI-powered coaching can help guide professionals’ course experience by allowing learners to ask for summaries of content or clarifying questions and providing real time insights and takeaways directly from the course pages.
New research by LinkedIn finds that over 9 in 10 (95%) Singaporean professionals are finding it hard to prioritise learning due to work and family commitments.
Top barriers include busy work schedules and a lack of time due to family responsibilities.
An emerging solution to this problem is 'Learning Loud', the act of being vocal and intentional about one’s learning ambitions in the workplace.