AUdemy, learning platform and skills marketplace, recently launched theGlobal Skills and Learning Trends Report 2025. With data of almost 17.000 corporate clients of Udemy, the study, released annually by the platform, shows the most sought-after skills and learning topics, pointing out what the future of learning and work will be. The report this year shows that organizations continue to invest in generative AI, but they have been investing more in their specific and practical applications, that help to maximize productivity, in soft skills and in leadership development, with the aim of successfully guiding employees in a time of constant change
Generative AI has the potential to deliver significant productivity gains, accelerate skill development and drive business growth. Therefore, "organizations that adopt technology and train their employees on the subject are more likely to remain competitive and better positioned for success", says Raphael Spinelli, regional director of Udemy for Latin America
According to the Udemy report, the three main areas in talent learning and development that companies should invest in next year are
1) Companies should develop practical skills in generative AI, that lead to applicable solutionsIf before organizations were focused on learning the fundamentals of generative AI, now they are focused on its practical application, with the aim of having teams implement technology in the daily workflow
Learning about generative AI for productivity grew by 859% compared to the previous year
• Learning about LangChain, a framework for application development, grew 3.949%
The consumption of various courses for certifications in AI has increased. Learning about the Microsoft Azure AI Engineer Associate increased by 311%, while learning about Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals increased by 197%
• So far, the courses on generative AI on Udemy attracted more than 4 million enrollments, with eight new registrations every minute
With the growth of learning generative AI skills, soft skills should also grow to stimulate creativity and collaborationBy developing both soft skills and generative AI skills, companies can ensure that new technologies are combined with the creativity and innovation inherent to the human being
Companies have been investing in skills such as problem-solving (growth of 103%), team building (79% growth) and business communication (41% growth). The idea is for employees to use the time saved with generative AI on more strategic work that requires human skills
• In addition to soft skills helping professionals use technology in the best possible way, they can solve communication failures, increase collaboration between teams and promote mentoring opportunities at a time when most companies have at least a few days of in-person work each week
3) Leading by example enhances the role of leadership in a time of constant change and the way employees perceive leadersLeaders should invest in learning about change management and soft skills as well as generative AI skills, to successfully lead employees in the era of AI-enabled work
Leadership fundamentals are one of the ten most sought-after business skills on Udemy in the past year
• The study of Udemyshows that nine out of ten employees believe that their team of leaders is essential for the success of generative AI initiatives, just under half (48%) believe that their leaders are ready to lead these initiatives
To read the full report, know how organizations can leverage Udemy's resource set with generative AI technology and see the programming created specifically for soft skills and leadership development, visithere.
Methodology
For the report, Udemy analyzed data from nearly 17.000 clients worldwide. The total consumption of Udemy Business students across all course topics was calculated for the period from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024. The percentage growth in course consumption was calculated compared to the year from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023 . The classification of total consumption for AI topics was also obtained from the period between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024
