33 employee training statistics and trends to level up in 2024

Unless you’ve been living under a rock these past five years, you know just how fast nearly every aspect of work has evolved, from how we hold meetings to preferred work attire. (Slacks? We don’t know her.)

That’s why looking at the latest employee training statistics and trends is so important. It’s more than just numbers — as companies continue to grapple with the growing skills gap in the job market, upskilling and reskilling employees has become a top priority. But these stats show our L&D strategies are due for a major facelift. 

In this article, we’ll cover:

• General employee training statistics
• Employee learning and development trends
• L&D systems and technology statistics
• Leadership training statistics

General employee training statistics 

With record-high spending on formal workplace training between 2022-2023, one would think employers have made strides in leveling up their L&D initiatives. Right?

Not necessarily. While most employees at large companies received some form of training in 2023, nearly half felt it was useless — and when you factor in small, medium, and freelance businesses, most employees had no workplace training at all. 

With required skills evolving at lightning speed, these stats show that companies need to take another look at what their employees really want out of their training programs.

• U.S. training expenditures hit a record-breaking $101.8 billion between 2022 and 2023, marking a whopping 23% increase since 2020. (Training)
• In 2023, a staggering 59% of employees reported receiving no workplace training, with tech talents and developers leading the charge in self-directed learning. (Lorman)
• Shockingly, 43% of employees found formal training ineffective, highlighting a crucial gap in current training approaches. (Axonify)
• The required skill sets for modern work have changed by 25% since 2015 and is expected to double by 2027. (LinkedIn)
• 66% of U.S. employees agree they need to acquire new skills to advance in their roles — and 41% of employees plan to leave their employers in 2024 if training isn’t on the table. (TalentLMS)
• 92% of employees weigh L&D opportunities when choosing between two job offers. (People Management)
• 74% of employees want to develop new skills to remain employable. (PWC)

Employee learning and development trends

Ready for the good news? 2024 is shaping up to be a game-changer for how employees learn and grow. With the rise of virtual reality for training and artificial intelligence for supercharged learning, it’s all about keeping up with the times and making sure employees have the skills they need to thrive. 

We’ll also see a big focus on holding onto talent this year, with upskilling, reskilling, and leadership development becoming the name of the game. These trends are all about setting everyone up for success in a fast-paced, ever-changing work world.  

• Employee career development was the top driver for employee training conducted by L&D professionals, followed by new skills development and increased employee engagement. (HR Research Institute)

• 85% of business executives would like to make their organizations more agile, which will require continuous learning. (Deloitte)
• 80% of employees want personalized learning tailored to their individual needs and goals in 2024, followed by non-work-related training to support their overall well-being (68%). (TalentLMS)
• Employees report learning 70% of their abilities on the job, 20% from their peers and colleagues, and 10% through formal training sessions. (Docebo)

• Most organizations provide training monthly or once every three months, although one-third of employees prefer quarterly training sessions. (Forbes)
• 77% of employers struggle to fill roles, leading to the demand for upskilling, reskilling, and employee-centric learning experiences. (ManpowerGroup) 
• 94% of employees would stay longer at a company if it offered learning and development opportunities. (Linkedin)

• Only 12% of organizations fully grasp how their employees prefer to learn, with 59% claiming they lacked the data to guide their practices. (LPI)
• Companies now spend $1,207 on average to train each employee, an increase from $1,071 per employee as reported in 2021. (Training)
• 85% of employees claim they need training on using AI, yet only 1 in 10 were offered training in 2023. (Boston Consulting Group)

L&D systems and technology statistics

We’ve touched on AI and virtual learning trends on the rise in 2024, but this year is about all things digital learning. Many companies are looking to innovative training software, virtual instructor-led training, and eLearning platforms to serve remote and hybrid work environments. 

But even this tech has evolved since the pandemic. The newest systems in L&D can tailor training for individual career growth, emphasize skills-based learning, and integrate social and collaborative features for better team building.     

• The corporate eLearning market is expected to exceed $450 billion by 2028. (Global Market Insights)
• 83% of L&D professionals agree or strongly agree that learning tech plays a huge role in L&D initiatives. (HR Research Institute)
• 72% of L&D departments use a learning management system in North America, followed by virtual instructor-led training or webinars (64%) and eLearning platforms like Udemy (52%). (HR Research Institute)

• 86% of L&D teams are considering using AI to assist with digital learning initiatives. (Elucidat)
• 59% of L&D pros predict learning tools will change to better aid employee career development by 2026, and 49% believe they’ll place more focus on skills-based learning. (HR Research Institute)
• 96% of learning leaders agree digital learning is important or very important to their overall L&D strategy for 2024. (Elucidat)

Leadership training statistics 

Not surprisingly, there’s been some big changes in leadership training over the past few years. As hybrid and remote employees battle burnout and crave connection, building high-performing teams requires a whole new set of skills. 

The focus now isn’t just on traditional leadership characteristics like strength and influence. It’s about nurturing personal growth and passion, which means more dynamic and engaging training practices. As we delve into the top statistics and trends for leadership training in 2024, it's clear that this is a pivotal moment for redefining what it means to be a great leader.

• Developing and retaining future leaders outranks economic and business concerns. (DDI)
• The top five skills for leader success are identifying and developing future talent (65%), strategic thinking (70%), managing successful change (63%), decision-making and prioritization (63%), and influencing others (61%). (DDI)

• However, no more than 30% of leaders have received training specific to each skill. (DDI)
• While 78% of business leaders claim to make an effort to engage with employees, the reality is less rosy — less than half of employees believe their organization's leadership is “high quality.” (Gallup)
• 43% of employees rated poor communication as the most common issue among toxic managers. (FlexJobs)
• On that note, effective communication was rated the top soft skill managers need the most. (Harvard Business Review)

• High-performing companies prioritize leadership training with a focus on character development, while low-performing companies are more likely to offer no character development at all. (Training Magazine)
• Employees who underwent leadership training improved their learning capacity by 25% and their performance by 20%. (Journal of Applied Psychology)
• When asked to rate the effectiveness of 24 learning methods, action learning assignments, job rotations, 360-degree feedback tools, and social media networks saw the biggest discrepancies between high- and low- performing companies. (Training Magazine)
• Only 32% of U.S. employees were engaged at work in 2022. However, top companies were able to quadruple engagement rates by equipping managers with the skills and tools needed to align business culture and values to team initiatives. (Gallup)

Train to engage with Mentimeter

Is taking your L&D game to the next level on your to-do list for 2024? These employee training statistics prove it should be. Even the top-performing companies are always looking for new ways to boost engagement, retention, and overall employee satisfaction. 

Through grabbing participations attention, making them give input and reflect, building an engaging and fun experience and adding interactions to avoid content overload you can enhance long-term memory and knowledge retention. This is easily done with Mentimeter.