The TalentLMS 2024 Annual L&D Benchmark Report
The report uncovers how four generations of employees view workplace learning and what they expect from it. Explore the impact of L&D shifts over time on workforce satisfaction, skills, and retention. Plus, get 5 key L&D trends for 2025.
Generational sentiment divide: Gen Z is the least satisfied generation with training programs, while Millennials are the most satisfied.
Key highlights
AI outruns training
Almost half of employees (49%) say AI is advancing faster than their company’s training programs are keeping up.
Leadership training in focus
For the second consecutive year, employees rank leadership training as their top development priority.
Skills in freefall
Over 4 in 10 employees (41%) think that work skills are losing relevance faster due to technological advancements.
More research takeaways
Satisfaction with training
Millennials are the most satisfied generation with training, with a satisfaction rate of 83%. They are followed by Gen X (78%) and Baby Boomers (77%). Gen Z trails behind with 75%, while also reporting the highest dissatisfaction rate (13%) among all generations.
L&D’s untapped potential
Despite high employee satisfaction with training, learning and development programs in companies are far from flawless. The surveyed employees recognized plenty of untapped potential: 63% say the training programs in their company could be improved.
Research tidbits: L&D barriers, priorities, and AI considerations
Gen Z retention at risk
37% of Gen Z will look for a new job in 2025 if their company doesn’t provide adequate training opportunities.
Navigating AI dilemmas
65% of employees want training on how to use AI safely and ethically, showing tangible and immediate AI concerns.
A hidden roadblock to training
23% of employees hesitate to ask for additional training they need because the budget availability is unclear.
Generational gap in communication
Overall, 23% of employees find it challenging to communicate with colleagues who aren’t close to their age. Moreover, generational analysis reveals a hidden gap. For Gen Z, the challenge is greatest: 33% struggle with cross-generational communication. The youngest workers are 3 times more likely than Baby Boomers, 1.5 times more than Gen X, and 1.3 times more than Millennials to find it difficult to communicate with different generations at work.
Impact of AI on employee skills
42% of employees report that AI tools have a positive impact on their skills. But AI’s negative impact, though overall low (5%), looks different for the youngest employees. Gen Z is 3 times more likely (9%) to say that AI harms their skills than Gen X (3%), and 2.2 times more than Millennials (4%) and Baby Boomers (4%). This could indicate an emerging pattern of skill decline in a generation increasingly reliant on AI.
AI tools at work: A gray area
Despite massive investments in AI tools, the data shows that organizations lack clarity on how employees can leverage these tools. The majority of surveyed employees (54%) report that their companies lack guidelines on using AI tools. As a result, they are left to navigate on their own if and how to integrate AI into their work. Even more striking, 11% of surveyed workers say AI tool use is outright forbidden (!) in their companies. On a positive note, 35% of employees are encouraged by their companies to leverage AI tools.
Research tidbits: Training priorities for the future
Ready for the future of work
68% of employees are more prepared for the future of work because of the training they’ve received.
Mental health training
Gen Z is the only generation to rank mental health training among their top three development priorities.
Employees’ skill priorities
Employees’ top 3 training priorities for 2025 are leadership and management, soft skills, and digital skills.
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