Most workers (70%) say they currently have the education and training they need to get ahead in their job or career. Still, a sizable share (30%) say they need more education and training.
Not surprisingly, older workers are more likely to say they have the training needed. The vast majority of workers ages 65 and older (86%) say this, larger than the shares among younger groups.
Views also differ by educational attainment. While 80% of workers with postgraduate degree say they have the education and training needed, smaller shares of those with a bachelor’s degree only (70%) or with some college education (64%) say the same. Workers with a high school diploma or less education are more likely than those with some college education to say they have the education and training they need (70% vs. 64%).
The best way to get training and education
Of the workers who say they need more education and training to get ahead, views are mixed on what would be the best way to get it.
- 28% point to learning on the job as the best way.
- 24% point to a certificate program.
- 24% point to more formal education, such as a two-year, four-year or postgraduate degree.
- 13% point to classes or online tutorials.
Another 10% of workers say they are not sure what would be the best way for them to get training.
Preferences about the best approach for further skills development differ by age. Among workers who say they need more training, those ages 18 to 29 (31%) are more likely than those ages 30 to 49 (22%) or 50 and older (21%) to say the best way would be for them to get more formal education.
In turn, workers ages 30 to 49 (15%) and those 50 and older (18%) are more likely than the younger group (7%) to say taking classes or watching online tutorials would be the best way to get the training they need.
Workers with a high school diploma or less education stand out in their views about the best way to get further education and training. They are less likely than workers with some college or a bachelor’s degree only to see formal education as the best way to get the training they need (19% vs. 26% and 30%). Workers with a high school diploma or less education are also more likely than other groups to say they are not sure what would be the best way for them to get the training the need (15% vs. 7% to 9% among other groups).
Who’s most likely to get training?
Regardless of whether they say they need additional training, about half of workers (51%) say they have taken a class or gotten extra training in the past 12 months to learn, maintain or improve their job skills. Roughly the same share (49%) say they have not done this.
Among workers who say they need more education and training:
- 53% say they have taken a class or gotten training in the past 12 months, while 47% say they have not.
- Most with a postgraduate degree (73%) say they got training in the past year, compared with 53% of those with a bachelor’s degree only and 50% of those with some college or less education.
Reasons for getting training
Among all workers who have taken a class or gotten extra training in the last 12 months, a majority say a major reason they did so was to keep up with field or industry requirements (62%). Many also point to employer requirements as a reason (45%).
About half (52%) say a major reason they took a class or received training is to improve their job performance.
And about three-in-ten or fewer point to wage or job opportunities – such as earning more money (31%), helping them get a new job (20%) or advancing them toward a promotion (19%) – as major reasons.
Younger workers are more likely than older workers to point to wages and job opportunities as major reasons they got training.
Among workers who have gotten training in the past year, those ages 18 to 29 are the most likely age group to say each of the following is a major reason they did so:
- Earning more money: 44% versus 34% of those ages 30 to 49, 16% of those 50 to 64, and 10% of those 65 and older.
- Helping them get a new job: 34% versus 21%, 9% and 3%.
- Getting a promotion: 30% versus 21%, 8% and 2%.
Reasons for not getting training
We also asked workers who have not taken a class or gotten training the past 12 months why they haven’t done this. About a third (35%) say they didn’t feel they needed to.
Among workers who say they need more training but haven’t taken a class or gotten extra training in the last 12 months, many point to time and resource constraints as major reasons.
- 43% say they couldn’t find the time to do it.
- 38% say they couldn’t afford it.
- 28% say their employer wouldn’t cover the cost.
Some 23% say a major reason is that they haven’t found the type of training they need, and a smaller share (16%) say they didn’t feel they needed it.
Workers with lower and middle incomes are more likely than those with upper incomes to face economic barriers to training. Sizable shares of lower- and middle-income workers (41% and 43%) who report they need but didn’t get training say they couldn’t afford it. Just 11% of those with upper incomes say the same.
What are the most important skills in today’s economy?
We asked workers to rate the importance of nine skills a worker might need to be successful in today’s economy.
Workers rate the following skills as the most important:
- Interpersonal skills (85% say this is extremely or very important)
- Written and spoken communication skills (85%)
- Critical thinking skills (84%)
Smaller majorities place great importance on basic computer skills (72%) and management and leadership skills (58%).
Fewer than half of workers say the following skills are extremely or very important:
- The ability to do physical or manual labor (44%)
- Skills to operate, build, or repair machinery or equipment (41%)
- High-level math, analytical or computer skills (39%)
- Skills to understand and use artificial intelligence tools or technology (35%)
Workers’ views on the importance of skills vary by education and the nature of their jobs. For example, 82% of workers with at least a bachelor’s degree place great importance on basic computer skills, compared with 66% of those with some college or less education.
And by double-digit differences, those who do manual or physical labor at their job are more likely than those who do not to say the following skills are extremely or very important for a worker to be successful in today’s economy:
- The ability to do physical or manual work or use hand tools (58% vs. 31%)
- Skills to operate, build, or repair machinery or equipment (48% vs. 34%)
