Upskilling Crucial to Post-COVID Business Recovery 

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• Upskilling Crucial to Post-COVID Business Recovery 

30 September 2020

The UK workforce gained a potential 94.2 million training hours earlier this year as entire sectors came to a standstill, according to Hays. 

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggests that, comparing April to June 2019 and the same period in 2020, the average actual weekly hours fell by 6.3 hours.

Additional research collated by Hays shows a strong link between businesses who took advantage of these training hours and those who expect to recover quickly post-COVID.

The accommodation and foodservice sector saw the largest decrease of 28.3 hours to 13.0 hours per week – leaving around 15 hours available for skills training.

Strong Link Between Businesses Bounce Back and Training

According to The Open University, 68 per cent of companies confident in their post-COVID recovery have invested in training during lockdown, while 53 per cent of those who are not confident did not.  

Two-thirds of organisations have revealed that learning opportunities were crucial to keeping their workforce agile and motivated throughout the pandemic. 

Finance and HR Skills Most Desirable

When asked which technical or specialist skills their organisation needs most, Hays research reveals that 35 per cent of UK employers put managerial and leadership skills at the top of the list. The sectors with the highest demand for these skills currently are:

• Finance (41 per cent).
• Human Resources (40 per cent).
• Healthcare (39 per cent).
• Office Support (39 per cent).
• Supply Chain & Logistics (39 per cent).

IT infrastructure skills are also in demand, with 20 per cent of UK employers overall naming this as the skill their organisation needs most. 

Picture: a photograph showing two people at a desk signing some paperwork

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 30 September 2020

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