Employers will focus on developing soft skills, leadership and practical applications of GenAI in 2025.
Udemy’s 2025 Global Learning & Skills Trends Report explored the business priorities of the coming year and identified three key areas for investment by organisations shaping the future learning and work.
It analysed data from over 17,000 companies. The data showed that companies are shifting their focus from GenAI basics to more practical applications. This allows teams to integrate the technology into operations and focus on integrations with workflows. GenAI for productivity is growing by 859 year-on-year.
The research also showed that companies invest in skills such as teamwork (79%), problem solving (103%), and business communications (41%).
Udemy claims that this shift allows employers to enhance soft skills and new technologies in tandem with GenAI growth. The employees can also focus more on strategic and human-centric tasks.
Platform believes that the development of soft skill will also help bridge the communication gap, boost collaboration and provide more opportunities for face-to-face mentoring as teams adapt to more in-person work with the expectation of more mandatory office visits in 2025.
Greg Brown, President and CEO of Udemy explained that GenAI will continue to be closely monitored next year as employers expect it to drive productivity gains, accelerate skill-building, and fuel business growth more quickly than ever.
He said: “Our research shows that enterprises are seeking practical GenAI solutions to be implemented in daily operations. They also invest in soft skills, leadership development and other areas to support the massive change of behaviour that this technology represents.” The organisations that will achieve the greatest success are those who embrace GenAI and its positive impact on human potential. They also close key skills gaps in order to remain competitive.
Leading by example can also improve the leadership’s standing in change management, and their employees’ perception of them.
Udemy states that leaders should invest in soft skills and change management, along with GenAI, to ensure success in the “AI enabled era of work”.
The study revealed that while nearly 90% of workers believe their leadership team plays a critical role in the success of GenAI transformation programs, less than half (48%) say their leaders are ready to lead such initiatives.
Jim Hemgen is the principal and director for talent development at Booz Allen Hamilton. He said, “Learning and development leaders have moved beyond whether GenAI will transform corporate learning. Now, we are focused on how to harness the power GenAI in diverse use cases, so that we can realise immediate business impact, and uncover every employee’s potential.”
He said that investing in key skill sets like GenAI and Leadership will allow AI and human expertise to work together in order to accelerate upskilling and make informed strategic choices. This will empower workers to thrive in an ever-changing world.
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