Learning new skills could boost earning potential, according to survey

Research from e-commerce marketplace Groupon has found that 44 per cent of people in Britain believe that having further training and taking courses to learn new skills could help to significantly boost their earning potential.

The research found that 30 per cent of UK workers have actively boosted their skills by taking extra training and gaining qualifications over the past five years.

Motivation

The research also revealed the main reasons why UK workers choose to upskill, with self-improvement being found to be the main motivation, cited by 52 per cent. This was followed by refreshing their skillset at 33 per cent and protecting themselves from automation at 5 per cent.

Upskilling has been beneficial to UK workers, with over 50 per cent using their new skills to earn extra money and 17 per cent receiving a pay rise or promotion. 

Flexible working was found to have played a part when it comes to boosting skills, with over 20 per cent saying that working flexibly provided them with more time to focus on their professional development.

Londoners were found to be the most likely to have upskilled, with 40 per cent learning new skills over the past five years, whilst the administrative, medical and accounting/finance sectors were amongst the most popular sectors for upskilling.

Opportunity

Groupon UK Managing Director Jon Wilson commented that regardless of age and location, you should always have the opportunity to continue learning.

He said that for some people, the cost of traditional face-to-face courses is a barrier, and this is why we are currently seeing strong demand for high-quality but affordable online learning courses.

He added that whether it is to improve yourself, try to get a promotion, or future-proof your career, there are many reasons to learn new skills.