79% professionals looking to upskill in 2022: Upskilling Outlook in India 2022 Report

Data Science, Artificial Intelligence and Software Development are the most preferred domains

Great Learning has released its annual report ‘Upskilling Outlook in India 2022’. The report highlights trends, insights, and thought-provoking numbers in the professional upskilling space extracted through Great Learning’s own platforms and through independent consumer research. As the nature of work evolves, the trends indicate growth in awareness and desire to upskill in today’s latest technologies. The report also points out the increasing intent of Indians towards upskilling for a better career. It further highlights motivations, incentives and barriers to upskilling.

From an already steep number in 2021, the intent to upskill in 2022 touches a record high with 79% professionals(including freshers) planning to upskill. 

As jobs in newer domains soared high in 2021, more than 70% of people chose to upskill to grab new opportunities. An even higher intent towards upskilling is being seen in 2022 with the emergence of newer domains like web 3.0, metaverse, NFTs etc. 79% people still plan to upskill in 2022 with another 11% people on the fence. 

Professionals from Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad showed the highest intent towards upskilling 

Amongst the bigger cities, people in Mumbai were the most invested in upskilling in 2022 followed by Delhi and Hyderabad. However, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad are still the topmost cities when it comes to demand for tech and data domains as observed in Great Learning’s platform data. 

With the rise of remote working and online hiring, tier 2/3 cities have also shown a huge intent for upskilling with Nagpur, Ernakulam, Mysore, Jaipur and Indore topping the list of fastest-growing cities.

IT, Banking, Education among top 5 industry backgrounds 

The IT, BFSI and Consulting sectors continue to dominate due to increased digital transformation and the dynamic nature of the business. With the continued pandemic, professionals from healthcare and education are also looking to upskill in data and cutting-edge tech skills.

Freshers and early stage professionals are looking for new jobs 

65% of freshers are keen to enter the corporate world and are upskilling to bag a new career opportunity. In both 2021 and 2022, 52% of professionals with work experience of 6-8 years upskilled to grow their career within their organization. Moreover, brushing up on new skills and personal interest was the top reason to upskill for 62% of professionals with work experience of 9+ years. 

Top Domains for 2022 - Data Science, Artificial Intelligence and Software Development

The future of jobs will be dominated by data science and advanced tech. A staggering 43% people expressed intent in data focused domains - data science, AI, machine learning and analytics. This aligns with the trends seen in Great Learning’s courses wherein Data Science and Software Development are the top domains preferred by learners. 

Certification from renowned universities are the top parameters 

Even though several factors come into play while making a choice to upskill, there were some dominant ones that came out in Great Learning’s consumer research. While 48% of freshers and professionals with less than 3 years of work experience consider job assistance as the top parameter while upskilling, 23% professionals with 3-8  years of experience look for personalized mentorship and 30%  with 9+ years of experience state certifications from renowned universities as their key consideration.

Both men and women showed an equal interest towards upskilling in 2022. However, being busy with household chores and family responsibilities is still a major hurdle towards learning for women as compared to men. These hurdles should now be reduced since technology-driven upskilling platforms are increasingly making education more accessible for all. People can now learn anytime from the comfort of their homes.

Only 35% of employees say their company offers training programs

Many big and small organizations are in the process of building a re-skilling and upskilling culture within their existing workforce. But only 35% of people reported access to customized training programs from their employers. A fresh hire requires upto 8 months to become fully productive at their new job. Employers need to realize that it is much more effective and efficient to re-skill rather than rehire. Several MNCs and large corporations have partnered with training platforms like Great Learning for Business to upskill their existing workforce and increase their productivity from day 1. 

Going back to the office will not impact the plan to upskill. 

With the 3rd wave of Covid-19 underway, offices have again been locked down and people are saving on commute times. Having said that, more than 62% of people do not feel going back to the office will act as a hurdle in their plan to upskill. The flexibility given by online learning platforms is a big factor for this where professionals could utilize commute times and breaks to upskill anywhere as opposed to taking out time specifically from their schedule. 

Commenting on the report, Hari Krishnan Nair, Co-founder, Great Learning said, “2021 was a year of setting new benchmarks, when it came to online learning and upskilling, in India and globally and it looks like this 'interest to learn' is only going to sustain and grow in the coming year as well. The increasing traction and adoption of upskilling amongst smaller Indian cities is an indicator of how geographical barriers are being broken. From an employment perspective, there are still lakhs of unfilled vacancies due to the scarcity of skilled talent and with most companies adopting digital transformation, the paths to grow for 'skilled employees' are unparalleled. Through this report, our objective is to help students, professionals and leaders realize the key trends in upskilling and how there are tangible benefits to be had by investing in one's own learning journey.” 

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