2024 Global Digital Skills & Training Report: Insights from Corporate Leaders

The way companies operate and how people work is undergoing significant change in 2024.

Of course, change has always been a factor in the workplace, but the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) could drastically transform the roles of marketers and cause a shift in the skills that they need.

There’s no denying that AI can have a positive impact. It can make the work of a digital marketer easier, more effective, and more efficient. But, unfortunately, many marketing teams and their leaders lack the skills and knowledge they need to keep up.

But it’s not only AI skills that leaders want. Our ‘2024 Global Digital Skills & Training Report: Insights from Corporate Leaders’ found that search engine optimization (SEO) know-how has become more crucial this year – moving up six places compared to what our research in 2023 found, to rank as the second skill companies lack. Meanwhile, data analytics retains its third spot.

Although decision-makers are aware of the skills gaps in their business, 35% don’t have a plan to tackle it. This is despite leaders believing that addressing the skills gaps will help them to ‘achieve team and business KPIs’, ‘improve role-related performance’, and lead to ‘higher employee satisfaction and retention’.

Unsurprisingly, upskilling and reskilling teams is seen as the solution. But 85% of decision-makers state that time and workload pressures are the main barrier to closing that gap – a significant jump of 23% compared to last year. This is followed by budget constraints, which is cited by 65% versus 53% in 2023.
However, some training methods are more effective than others. While some methods have remained consistently effective, we discovered that specialization and practical learning may be the key.

So, it's not surprising that ‘bitesize learning’ is considered by 95% of leaders as the most efficient training method. Meanwhile ‘generic courses and lack of customization’ is the main shortcoming of digital marketing and sales training, according to 58%.

Certification is also crucial, as employees prioritize personal development and seek to carve out successful digital marketing careers. And employers value certification as a way to find rising talent and navigate promotions.

Upskilling in such challenging times and in the face of AI could mean that budgets are stretched and (if not adapted to the needs of a workforce) ineffective.

There are also notable shortcomings to current training methods used by businesses for digital marketing and sales staff.

There’s lots to digest in our new report! However, understanding the skill gaps, the best way to address them, and the most effective training method could be key to the success of your team and business.

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