Indian professionals are prioritising upskilling like never before, with a staggering 85% planning to invest in FY25, according to Great Learning’s Upskilling Trends Report 2024-25. This surge comes amidst a concerning decline in job retention confidence, which has dropped to 62% – a nine-point decrease from the previous year.
Driven by tech disruptions and economic uncertainty, professionals are actively seeking new skills to stay relevant. This is particularly true for experienced professionals (over 17 years) with 92% prioritising upskilling.
“Upskilling is crucial for both professionals and businesses to stay competitive amidst tech disruptions and macroeconomic situations,” says Hari Krishnan Nair, Co-Founder, Great Learning.
While job confidence is lowest among entry-level professionals (only 29% confident), their intent to upskill is increasing steadily, rising 8% to 83% in FY25.
Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning are the most sought-after upskilling domains. In the survey of the hiring partners, these three domains emerged as the top areas where enterprises plan to hire the most candidates in FY25.
These metro cities boast the highest intent to upskill, with 87% of professionals planning to invest in FY25.
The report also highlights a significant drop in job security confidence among Indian professionals. This is likely due to a combination of factors including global economic conditions and recent layoffs.
Career growth within their current organisation remains the top motivator for upskilling (39%), followed by personal interest (17%). However, busy work schedules (34%) and financial constraints (19%) are the biggest hurdles faced by professionals.