More than half of business leaders in both Germany and India (52% each) are helping their workforce become AI-literate, according to new research from LinkedIn.

Australia (47%) and the UK (44%) followed with Spain rounding out the top five (41%).

“With rapid advancements in AI, helping employees develop new skills has become business critical,” the research states. LinkedIn data finds that the skills needed for jobs globally are projected to change by 51% by 2030 (since 2016), and the rise of Generative AI is expected to accelerate this change to 68%.

Further UK data showed that professionals in the UK are keen to boost their AI literacy as 76% say they are excited to use AI in their work, and 65% believe it will help their career progression.

Skills development is also crucial to internal mobility and talent retention. Most UK organisations (9 out of 10) are concerned about employee retention, and half (49%) of hiring managers in the UK predict an increase in employee turnover in 2024.

Internal mobility, the movement of employees to new career opportunities within an organisation, is considered one of the top ways to retain talent, however many companies are finding it difficult to implement. LinkedIn’s research finds that the top three barriers to internal mobility in the UK include a lack of L&D (learning and development) opportunities to pivot careers (27%), talent hoarding (27%) employees unaware of internal opportunities (25%).

Janine Chamberlin, Vice President and UK Country Manager, LinkedIn said, “Just over a year since Generative AI came to the forefront of public awareness, businesses are starting to invest in upskilling their employees to make the most of the technology. It’s these forward-looking organisations that will have an edge over competitors.”

“Companies cannot afford to be slow on upskilling if they are to capture the opportunities presented by AI and succeed in an ever-changing world of work,” Chamberlin added. “Upskilling employees on hard and soft skills will not only help companies to become more agile, but also improve retention and make it easier for people to pivot into new careers within the organisation. The businesses that get this right will benefit from having people with the right skills, in the right roles, at the right time.”

“However, to make this successful, companies will also need to cultivate a culture of continuous learning, signposting internal roles, encouraging employees to consider their next move, and helping them to understand the skills they need to switch into new roles.”