70% of workers say they would train for a new role within their company, rather than leave

@coursera: New data shows that 80% of UK workers are open to new roles in 2023. And unsurprisingly, as the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite, a better salary is a key motivation for the majority of these jobseekers. 

However, encouragingly for employers who are keen to hold onto staff in economically turbulent times, 70% of workers say they would train for a new role within their company rather than leave. With 60% of workers saying they would not apply for a role (either within or outside of their current company) if it didn’t offer upskilling opportunities, it’s clear investing in training and development should be a high priority for staff retention strategies going forward this year. 

Commenting on this retention opportunity, Hadi Moussa, Managing Director for EMEA at one of the world’s largest online learning platforms, Coursera, said:

“Amid continued economic uncertainty and the fear of lay-offs across a number of industries, it’s understandable that nearly a third (30%) of UK workers admit they are scared of change and a quarter feel stuck in their career (24%). But wanting a new job doesn’t have to mean a leap of faith into the unknown, in fact, your next exciting role could be waiting for you in the comfort of your own company. 

“Our research has found that there is a huge appetite for upskilling, with nearly half (47%) of Brits very open to taking online courses in 2023 to improve their CV and job opportunities. While the thought of employees updating their CVs may ordinarily be cause for concern for bosses, the majority (55%) of respondents said they would like to experience working for other departments in their company. So there’s a clear opportunity through upskilling for businesses to attract new talent from within or retain staff who may otherwise have looked for new opportunities elsewhere.”

The results are according to a 2,000-person survey of UK consumers conducted by Coursera in partnership with Censuswide.