New Data Reveals Global Workforce is Prioritizing Skills to Enhance Productivity, Leadership, and GenAI Automation

Udemy’s Q3 Index finds skills related to operational efficiency, business strategy, and digital transformation are rising in popularity

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Udemy (Nasdaq: UDMY), a leading online skills marketplace and learning platform, today unveiled its Q3 2024 Global Workplace Learning Index, highlighting emerging professional and technical skills as well as key learning trends across global organizations. This quarterly report provides insights into which skills are growing in demand and helps organizations stay ahead of the competition as they continue to navigate changing workforce dynamics, accelerated digital transformation, and evolving industry needs.

“Today, professionals and organizations worldwide understand the need to upskill quickly to stay ahead of cutting-edge tools and topics, enabling career development and better business outcomes,” said Scott Rogers, Senior Vice President of Instructor and Content Strategy at Udemy. “SHRM’s State of the Workplace report revealed that 53% of organizations are prioritizing upskilling and reskilling employees to improve productivity, particularly in response to AI and an aging workforce?.”

In Q3, the following global themes took center stage for professional upskilling:

Personal Productivity is on the rise: The global workforce places a strong emphasis on enhancing productivity and efficiency, underscoring the need for professionals to optimize business outcomes despite limited resources. Personal Productivity emerged among the top 10 in-demand professional skills this quarter, experiencing an increase of 17% in Q3.
Professionals are embracing Time Management techniques: There continues to be a broader cultural shift where professionals are increasingly looking for ways to stay competitive while maintaining a work-life balance. As a result, Time Management was one of the most popular skills amongst learners this quarter, with a 12% increase compared to Q2.
Companies are doubling down on Strategy and Leadership skills: As organizations enter planning season for 2025, business strategy and management skills are critical focus areas for professionals looking to grow in their careers, with topics such as Marketing Strategy (26% increase), Business Communication (19% increase), Product Management (15% increase), and Project Management (12% increase) also rising in popularity among global employees. Interestingly, Emotional Intelligence saw a 12% increase, aligning with organizations’ efforts to foster better leadership skills and interpersonal dynamics.
The race toward Generative AI (GenAI) and automation is on: In the global tech sector, companies are focused on skills that can accelerate automation, data-driven decision-making, and the adoption of GenAI. Linux Administration was the fastest-growing technical skill in Q3 with a 36% hike, highlighting the need for businesses to adopt tools enabling the shift to cloud platforms. Additionally, GenAI (26% increase) has become one of the largest areas of skills acquisition on the Udemy platform with strong sustained growth. Skills in AWS Certified Data Engineer (25% increase) reflect the focus on harnessing data and AI for seamless automation.

“A well-crafted strategy is essential for driving business growth in today's competitive landscape, and mastering digital marketing strategies in the era of GenAI is no longer optional,” said Anton Voroniuk, CEO of Skillsbooster. “More than 700,000 professionals are learning digital marketing and GenAI skills through my courses on Udemy to navigate the ever-evolving field of digital marketing and execute proactive marketing strategies.”

Along with global workforce trends, the Index also highlights skills that are in demand among employees in the Professional, Financial, and Consulting Services sectors:

Professional Services are upskilling in Project Management and Automation: The Professional Services industry is upskilling in a blend of project management and automation skills to manage projects more effectively. Learners also sought to learn more about emerging technical tools such as Blazor (82% increase) and Microsoft Copilot (62% increase).
Consulting Services are adopting enterprise technology: These emerging tools can empower teams to streamline projects while nurturing skillsets that support a variety of internal functions. Technical skills related to Oracle Cloud (66% increase) and Oracle Integration Cloud or OIC (65% increase) are surging in demand in the Consulting Services sector. According to AlphaSense, clients are increasingly seeking consultants who possess both strategic insight and technical expertise.
Financial Services are investing in soft skills: Companies in the Financial Services space are focusing more on developing essential soft skills to effectively navigate change management. Organizations are increasingly prioritizing Manager Training courses (68% increase) as well as employee-centric professional skills, such as Career Development (98% increase), Conflict Management (74% increase), and Emotional Intelligence (40% increase).

Forward Thinking: Adopting Skills-Based Strategies To Foster Workforce Agility in 2025

With 2025 positioned to be a pivotal year of change, Udemy will continue spotlighting key learning trends at its annual FWD 2024 events where leaders can exchange insights on crafting exceptional learning experiences. These events will cover how organizations can drive the future of work and transition to a skills-based approach to enhance workforce agility, drive innovation, and achieve sustainable growth, along with a sneak preview of GenAI innovations within the Udemy Intelligent Skills Platform. Upcoming FWD events include:

FWD NYC on October 29
FWD London on November 7
FWD Frankfurt on November 20
FWD Bengaluru on November 26
FWD Mumbai on November 28

“To date in 2024, we have welcomed thousands of professionals to FWD events held virtually as well as more than 500 attendees at face-to-face events in Japan, Vietnam, South Korea, and Brazil where they engage with industry leaders and discuss the latest market trends in learning,” said Genefa Murphy, Chief Marketing Officer at Udemy. “We are thrilled to establish such a dynamic forum that empowers our customers and prospects to prepare for the future of learning and development, ensuring they are always ahead of the curve and able to support their organizations in delivering sustainable value.”

To partner with Udemy Business and upskill your organization, visit business.udemy.com.

Methodology

The Udemy Global Workplace Learning Index uses data from thousands of Udemy Business customers worldwide. Location data is based on the country associated with the company. The skills data compares the consumption of courses in the Udemy Business collection from Q2 2024 to Q3 2024. Courses are associated with one or more topics, with a maximum of five topics per course. The trending skills that you see in the report are based on these topics. If a course covers multiple topics, consumption minutes are divided equally across all topics associated with the course.

About Udemy

Udemy (Nasdaq: UDMY) transforms lives through learning by ensuring everyone has access to the latest and most relevant skills. Through the Udemy Intelligent Skills Platform and a global community of diverse and knowledgeable instructors, millions of learners gain expertise in a wide range of technical and professional skills — from generative AI to leadership. The Udemy marketplace provides learners with thousands of up-to-date courses in dozens of languages, offering a variety of solutions to achieve their goals. Udemy Business empowers enterprises to offer on-demand learning for all employees, immersive learning for tech teams through Udemy Business Pro, and cohort learning for leaders through Udemy Business Leadership Academy. Udemy Business customers include Fender^?, Glassdoor, On24, The World Bank and Volkswagen. Udemy is headquartered in San Francisco with hubs in Austin and Denver, USA; Ankara and Istanbul, Türkiye; Dublin, Ireland; Melbourne, Australia; and Chennai, Gurugram and Mumbai, India.