Lack of upskilling and AI training contributes to resignation spike, PwC survey

More employees are on the job hunt due to a lack of upskilling and AI training; a PwC survey has revealed.

The study of 56,000 workers found that nearly a third of participants claimed they were either very or extremely likely to change jobs – a rise from the 2022 ‘Great Resignation’ period, in which 19% of employees said the same.

According to the findings, increased workloads are driving employees to adopt technologies such as generative AI to handle it.

Nearly half (45%) of respondents said that their workloads have increased over the past year, due to a faster pace of change.

Over 60% of employees noted substantial changes in their work environment compared to the previous year with greater pressures in their roles due to rapidly evolving job conditions.

For over 80% of those in the study, Gen AI is believed to enhance efficiency in the coming year. Yet, even in senior leadership, not all feel they have the skills to implement the burgeoning tech into their jobs.

PwC found that only about one in five senior executives and nearly the same amount (17%) of managers are using Gen AI daily.

With this, half the respondents said that having opportunities to learn new skills is a key consideration when it comes to their decision to stay with their employer or leave for another job.

Sheila Flavell, COO for business and technology consultancy FDM Group, said: “Many workplaces are held back by out-of-date thinking and legacy technologies, but [employees such as] Gen Z play a vital role in challenging the status quo and redefining the way we work through critical thinking and digital skills.”

“Businesses must listen and adapt to focus on their personal development through training and upskilling programmes, boosting retention.”

However, ahead of upskilling for AI, John Kirk, deputy CEO of marketing agency Inspired Thinking Group cautioned: “For AI to be rolled out safely, it’s important to ensure that there’s a well-managed governance model in place to support content operations and reduce the risk and hesitancy for adoption.”