Training workforces has become more challenging, as artificial intelligence (AI) has taken on entry-level work and remote work continues to erode apprenticeship training models, according to Deloitte’s 2025 Global Human Capital Trends report.

In response, about two-thirds (66%) of workers globally are “overwhelmed by how quickly work is changing”, and nearly half (49%) are “worried that the pace of change will leave them behind”, the report said. Both executives (73%) and employees (72%) believe that organisations should do more now to provide opportunities for workers to gain experience.

However, leaders inexperienced in nontraditional upskilling practices could be out of touch. More than half (57%) of executives trained through apprenticeships, internships, or an entry-level or part-time role and may struggle to understand and empathise with workers’ predicament, the report said.

While leaders prepare for “more agile ways of working”, uncertainty from constant change leaves more employees looking for stability in their jobs. A recent FM podcast episode explored the disconnect between executives and employees.

In the Deloitte report, 81% of executives agree that work today is increasingly performed across functional boundaries, and 71% of workers are now expected to perform work outside the scope of their job descriptions.

Another reason employees favour stability is the lack of reward from taking more on. “Workers have long been anchored to their jobs as a source of identity, and to linear, internal career paths for a sense of direction,” the report said. “Meanwhile, career development has stagnated for many workers due to an overreliance on the limited internal pathways organisations can identify and provide.”

The report surveyed around 10,000 business and human resources leaders globally. Deloitte supplemented its research with worker, manager, and executive-specific surveys to uncover possible gaps between leader and manager perception and worker realities.

Transformation and the ‘experience paradox’

Employees fear innovation could leave them behind at work. The Deloitte report and other research show that workers are seeking more training, including for the use of generative AI.

Bridging the experience gap calls for organisations to address the experience paradox, Peter Cappelli, professor of management at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, said in the report. If entry-level jobs are no longer the place to learn new skills, how can workers develop the skills employers need?

“Two-thirds (66%) of managers and executives say that most recent hires were not fully prepared, and experience was the most common failing,” the report said. “Meanwhile, both new workers and career changers struggle to find foothold jobs … where they can acquire experience, even in sectors that are desperate for people.”

Other key takeaways from the report:

Motivating employees is not a huge financial investment: “Organisations can get started now by simply asking managers to better understand their workers’ unique motivations and tailor their feedback, development plans, or other practices accordingly.”

The role of manager requires a revamp: In an AI era, “the most important skill managers will likely need is the art of judgement — or the ability to make difficult decisions where there are no cut-and-dry answers or when the information available is insufficient.”

Unlock performance by innovating inadequate processes: “Engineering human performance … goes beyond [performance management] to incorporate organisational culture and design, manager and people connections, tech and data, workforce practices, and workplace design.”

— To comment on this article or to suggest an idea for another article, contact Steph Brown at Stephanie.Brown@aicpa-cima.com.

AICPA & CIMA member resources

AICPA & CIMA’s Transformative Skills Pack can help finance professionals to strengthen soft skills, interpersonal behaviours, and digital competencies to drive and lead change in their organisations.

A webcast on 19 May, Navigating the AI Landscape, offers an introduction into generative AI for finance professionals.

Articles

“Mindset, Accountability, Change: How to Empower the Finance Team”, FM magazine, 28 February 2025

“Leaders, Employees View High Performance Differently”, FM magazine, 21 February 2025

“Skills Gaps Persist Despite Enthusiasm to Upskill”, FM magazine, 11 February 2025

“Keys to Building Winning Teams at Work”, Journal of Accountancy, 6 February 2025

“Why Digital Transformation Is More About People Than Technology”, FM magazine, 30 October 2024

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