Various factors contribute to the formation of the skills gap, such as a lack of qualified candidates in an industry, changes in the job role, industry standards that require re-training, or fast-moving trends. A 2022 survey of human resources professionals revealed that 69 percent saw a skills gap at their company, up from 55 percent the year prior [1]. Respondents indicated that lack of awareness, support, and adequate development opportunities contributed to the issue.

In this article, we look at why skills gaps exist, their extent and impact, along with ideas on how to overcome the skills gap with training and other strategies.

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What are the different skills in the skills gap?

Various skills, including workplace and technical skills, across multiple industries combine to make the widening skills gap. Despite the number of college graduates seeking employment and unemployed workers, many industries need help to fill vacancies and retain talent, including technology, human resources, sales, and management [1].

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The Association for Talent Development identifies numerous in-demand skills contributing to the widening skills gap. Examples include [2]:

Critical thinking

Problem-solving

Communication

Interpersonal

Managerial, supervisory, and leadership

IT skills, including working with advanced technology like artificial intelligence

Cybersecurity

As more jobs involve technology and technology evolves rapidly, experts anticipate that coding, programming, automation, and artificial intelligence will continue to fall into the skills gap.

Read more:Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills: What’s the Difference?

Why does the skills gap exist?

What drives the continuing skills gap? In truth, it’s a multifaceted issue linked to various factors, including the following:

Inadequate training:You could rename the skills gap a “training gap.” You can often attribute the problem to poor on-the-job training and supervisors and mentors failing to provide robust training. Instituting programs to nurture employees and support reskilling and upskilling can help close the gap.

Research remains ongoing to identify further the causes of the skills gap and the challenges it poses across industries. Employers and educators can work together to provide insight and solutions to address the skills gap now and in the future.

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The global extent of the skills gap

A skills gap could prevent you from getting the job you want, but it doesn’t have to be that way if you can identify the skills needed and take the necessary action.

Professional services firm PwC, examined the skills gap for the 2019 World Government Summit. The researchers were alarmed at what they found and quickly realized the imminent need to take action.

“The message is clear: change now, or become obsolete. Governments, businesses, and individuals must work together to implement a holistic, sustainable solution that distributes power and accountability. The time is now, not five years from now” [6].

Additionally, McKinsey’s 2021 Mind the Skills Gap study found that 87 percent of companies worldwidesay they already have a skills gap or anticipate having one in the coming years [7].

How to overcome the skills gap

Shrinking and eliminating the skills gap requires a strategy that removes many of the learning obstacles that cause it, including increased education in the classroom. Starting early, especially in K–12 education, offers one helpful solution, particularly for workplace skills, which teachers rarely cover during grade school education. Paying attention in school is critical for basic skills like reading, writing, critical thinking, analysis, and mathematics. If you don’t have those foundational skills while advancing through school, it’ll be harder to pick them up later.

For technical skills, the best way to pick them up is through learning, experience, and practice. If someone is currently working in a job or career that you want, ask them for advice. Ask how they go about accomplishing their tasks. Do they have tricks or tips that they learned over the years? It can also be helpful to practice skills you want to gain. The more you repeat or complete a task, the easier it will be for you to do in the future.

Taking the initiative alone can help you sharpen your skill set or learn new things. You could go back to school or explore resources like the following:

Volunteer.Consider volunteering for friends, family, or formal organizations to expand your experience. For example, you could take on a project for a small business to learn analytics or customer management or join a nonprofit board to sharpen communication and leadership skills.

Ask to rotate to another department at work.Some employers may allow temporary arrangements that provide exposure to other areas. For example, if you work in sales, you might ask to spend a week in accounting or marketing.

Get certified.You can attend training, take classes, or learn independently before taking an exam and getting certified in specific fields. You can add these verifiable skills to your resume and the credentials you earn.

Next steps

Do an honest assessment of your skills, including areas needing strengthening. What are you great at? What areas could use a little more attention and improvement? Now is the time to take your skills to the next level.

Explore all your options, including online classes, bootcamps, and workshops that can help youclose or overcome the skills gap. For example, you could expand your tech skills with theGoogle UX Design Professional Certificate. Alternatively, you could sharpen your accounting skill set with Introduction toFinancial Accounting: The Accounting Cycle, a Specializationfrom the University of California Irvine on Coursera.

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Article sources

1.Workforce Monitor. “Closing the Skills Gap 2023: Employer Perspectives on Educating the Post-Pandemic Workforce.” Accessed October 2, 2023.

Workforce Monitor. “Closing the Skills Gap 2023: Employer Perspectives on Educating the Post-Pandemic Workforce.” Accessed October 2, 2023.

2.Association for Talent Development. “Skills Gap is Top-of-Mind for Employers.” Accessed October 2, 2023.

Association for Talent Development. “Skills Gap is Top-of-Mind for Employers.” Accessed October 2, 2023.

4.Harvard Business Review. “4 Ways to Bridge the Global Skills Gap.” Accessed October 2, 2023.

Harvard Business Review. “4 Ways to Bridge the Global Skills Gap.” Accessed October 2, 2023.

5.Deloitte. “2018 Manufacturing Skills Study Gap.” Accessed October 2, 2023.

Deloitte. “2018 Manufacturing Skills Study Gap.” Accessed October 2, 2023.

6.PwC. “The Lost Workforce: Upskilling for the Future.”

PwC. “The Lost Workforce: Upskilling for the Future.”

7.McKinsey. “Mind the [skills] Gap.” Accessed October 2, 2023.

McKinsey. “Mind the [skills] Gap.” Accessed October 2, 2023.

This content has been made available for informational purposes only. Learners are advised to conduct additional research to ensure that courses and other credentials pursued meet their personal, professional, and financial goals.