Over 60 pc Indian firms launching skilling programmes to shape future workforce: Report

NEW DELHI — More than 60 per cent of organisations in India are implementing skilling programmes to shape the future workforce of the country, according to a report on Wednesday.

The report by Aon, a global professional services firm, examined how organisations are incorporating skills into their decision-making processes.

It showed that talent attraction and retention, a strong bench of leaders, and workforce agility and resilience are the top talent priorities for Indian organisations for the next two-three years.

To achieve this, “61 per cent of Indian companies have implemented skills-based initiatives”, the report said.

The findings reflect growing pressure on Indian firms to remain competitive amid rapid change, talent churn, and evolving skill needs.

Preparing for GenAI disruption and sustaining employee wellbeing were ranked lower, suggesting relatively less current prioritisation but growing future importance.

The report, based on input from over 135 organisations across APAC, including from India, showed that 57 per cent of Indian respondents consider skills “critical” for business success -- among the highest in APAC.

“As businesses face an increasingly dynamic environment, there is a strong need for relevant future-ready skills over traditional work experience to build a resilient and agile workforce,” said Puneet Swani, head of Talent Solutions for APAC at Aon.

“Organisations must prioritise skills development and leverage people analytics to improve HR and business outcomes. By doing so, they can foster a resilient and adaptable workforce ready to meet future challenges,” Swani added.

The report also listed the top challenges such as identifying relevant skills, limited budgets, measuring programme effectiveness, and employee engagement and training time constraints.

Notably, lack of leadership support was not cited as a major barrier in India, suggesting a strong top-down commitment to skills development.

Further, despite India's large talent pool and technological capabilities, India was found to lag in the skills maturity journey when compared to Australia and Malaysia.