Aussie employees demand training with data skills

Australian employees expect their organisation to invest in digital skills training, and companies that fail to meet this expectation risk facing mass resignations, according to research published by Salesforce’s Tableau.

A survey conducted by Forrester Consulting found that while 71% of Australia’s decision-makers believe their department provides its workers with needed data skills, only 33% of employees feel the same way.

Only 39% of Australian business leaders make data training available to all employees, with 37% offering training only for employees in traditional data roles, the research suggests.

Among employees, 84% said they would be more likely to take another job if it provided an opportunity to use data skills. Conversely, 90% of employees are more likely to stay with a company that invests in data training.

This pressure is coming at a time when businesses are already struggling to retain and attract talent, with job vacancies up 86% compared to 2020.

The research also found that upskilling initiatives produce clear benefits for employees and businesses alike. These can include improved performance, customer and employee satisfaction and employee retention.

Employers also highly value data-skilled employees, viewing them as making better and faster decisions while being more productive and innovative.

Robert Wickham, COO for Salesforce Tableau in APAC and Japan, said decisions on whether and how widely to offer data skills training to employees could have long-term implications for the business.

“It is clear that businesses who equip their employees with data skills have a significant competitive advantage over those that don’t. But the value of data can only be realised when everyone — not just those traditional data-focused roles — is able to draw insights and turn them into action, fast,” he said.

“This is a rallying call for business leaders in Australia to act now and invest in their people through data training programs. Only then can leaders reap the dividends of new revenue streams and empowered employees.”

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