In the next five years, 170 million new jobs will emerge globally, while 92 million roles are expected to disappear due to automation, according to the World Economic Forum.
As artificial intelligence (AI) transforms industries at an unprecedented pace, the urgency to reskill and adapt has never been higher.
Great Learning, a global edtech platform, highlights this trend in its Upskilling Trends Report 2025-2026, citing that 69 percent of professionals—of the 1,000 surveyed across industries—believe their jobs are already being impacted by technology, especially AI. And a growing 85 percent are now seeing upskilling as essential to future-proofing their careers.
As proactive learning becomes the need of the hour, Forbes India tries to unpack more on the evolving landscape of upskilling and why it has become a critical factor in how Indian professionals and companies stay competitive, with Mohan Lakhamraju, the founder and CEO of Great Learning.
Edited excerpts from an interview:
Q. Are Indian professionals proactive about upskilling or usually pick it up when job security feels threatened?
Upskilling was once limited to a select few who truly understood its value or those who felt their jobs were threatened. But today, most professionals across levels, functions, and industries are proactively upskilling, especially in AI, to stay relevant, enhance their efficiency, and adapt to the rapidly evolving demands of the workplace. At the same time, organisations are actively seeking these skills, as AI-led innovations are becoming central to business strategy and competitiveness.
We’re witnessing a fundamental cultural shift towards lifelong learning, where embracing AI is not a choice, but a necessity for growth.
Q. What are the most common reasons people hesitate to upskill? How can employers address this?
Our report highlights that 37 percent of professionals cite office work and lack of time as a major barrier to learning new technical skills. Across industries, another hesitation is whether the new technical skills will lead to tangible career growth.
However, we are seeing a notable shift among some forward-thinking organisations. They are investing proactively in upskilling their employees as well as creating incentives for them in ways that work best for them.
From my experience, when senior leaders actively champion continuous learning, it creates a ripple effect among their teams as upskilling gets embedded into the culture of the organisation rather than being treated as a standalone activity.
Also Read: When AI decides whom to hire
Q. For Indian companies, is investing in skilling a business priority or still considered a one-off HR activity?
The perception around skilling in Indian companies is definitely evolving. Leading organisations now treat it as a strategic business priority rather than just an HR initiative. We are seeing that with AI and generative AI that are increasingly influencing workflows with an aim to drive business decisions, strategy, and operations. Therefore, it’s no longer sufficient to upskill only functional experts. Middle and senior leaders, especially decision-makers, must also build these capabilities.
Larger enterprises and GCCs are ahead in linking learning to tangible business outcomes, while many mid-sized firms are still evolving. The next phase of growth in India will depend on how quickly more organisations make this strategic shift from HR-led programmes to business-driven capability building.
Q. How do companies evaluate impact when they fund training programmes?
Today, leading organisations no longer measure the success of training programmes by participation or completion rates alone. The emphasis has shifted to outcomes and practical application, with use-case-driven learning at the core. Common key performance indicators (KPIs) include improvements in productivity, quality of output, and even innovation metrics, such as the number of new ideas or features in a product or a process generated through upskilling initiatives.
Our internal data from last year shows that over 80 percent of enterprises reported that investing in internal talent development helped reduce hiring costs, reinforcing the clear business case for continuous learning.
In my view, however, the most critical measure is how quickly an organisation can build the skills it needs to respond to market shifts. Companies that treat learning agility as a core capability consistently outperform peers, while delivering measurable impact on revenue, innovation, and long-term growth.
Q. Despite the explosion of edtech platforms and certifications, employers still complain of skill gaps. Where does the disconnect lie?
Global competition is a key driver of workforce upskilling, pushing organisations to invest in new capabilities, especially in generative AI, to remain effective and competitive. However, our internal data shows that only 25 percent of organisations focus their training programmes to reflect evolving industry trends with a focus on the future.
Most others focus their learning interventions on a just-in-time immediate need basis and do not take a strategic view towards skill development. This highlights a critical disconnect—while learning platforms are widely available, engagement and alignment with organisational priorities remain selective. This gap is where skill shortages persist.
Fixing this disconnect requires these employers to take a slightly longer term and strategic view of upskilling. They also worry that employees who gain future-proofed skills may command a higher premium in the market and leave, which would result in lost investment. To address this, it is important for professionals also to take a longer-term view and stay committed.
Q. AI skilling opportunities still feel metro-centric. How can India democratise access to learning in tier 2 and 3 cities to expand its employable base?
Democratising access to learning is critical for building an inclusive digital economy. Metro cities naturally benefit from better connectivity, large employer base and institutional presence.
The pandemic made people comfortable with the idea of learning online. The next phase is ensuring that learning is not only accessible but also relevant, aspirational, and empowering to enable professionals in tier 2 and 3 cities to compete and thrive in a rapidly evolving economy.
To unlock AI skills across India, the focus must be on providing easy online access to high-quality programmes and linking learning to local career opportunities.
Q. How can professionals and companies keep pace with AI evolving so fast? Is it better to go deep in one domain or build multi-disciplinary skills?
Enterprises today are sharpening their learning and development strategies to boost employee retention and career progression. According to our recent insights, 26 percent of organisations are customising programmes to specific roles to help employees get clarity between training and career advancement. Another 25 percent are updating content to align with emerging industry trends, reflecting agility in curriculum design.
Meanwhile, 19 percent emphasise industry-recognised certifications to provide tangible credentials, and 13 percent each are investing in external expert collaborations and regular skills-gap analyses, thus embedding a culture of continuous learning and adaptation.
I feel that across experience levels, it’s important to first build depth in a domain to make oneself valuable. With AI automating many tasks, domain expertise will become ever more important.
Once there is sufficient expertise in a domain built, professionals can then start adding breadth to become more well-rounded and further increase their value.
First Published: Nov 12, 2025, 14:44
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