2022 Workplace Learning Report

The
Transformationof L&D
Learning leads the way
through the Great ReshuffleWelcometo thedeep diveIf you’re reading this, you’ve most likely
already spent time with the report’s web
experience, and now you’re curious toabsorb even more data and insights.
This version contains all the web headlines,
plus a host of extras called out in bold.

Contents
Introduction

The Transformation of L&D

3

Learning leads the way through the Great Reshuffle.

Chapter 1

L&D in Transition

6

L&D has become more central, strategic, cross-functional — and overworked.
Plus, how learning lights up company culture and a bright idea on experimentation.

Chapter 2

New Challenges

17

L&D’s rapid rise spurs new pressure to deliver results.
Plus, L&D’s weighty role in DE&I; a bright idea on psychological safety; the criticalimportance of well-being; and a spotlight on L&D skills from RedThread Research.

Chapter 3

Rethinking Skill Building
Leaders can expand impact by connecting skills to internal mobility and retention.

29

Plus, stats showing most pros are just starting to build skills programs; what motivates
employees to learn; and a bright idea on internal mobility.

Chapter 4

How L&D Succeeds
L&D pros thrive by investing in relationships, political capital, resources —and themselves

37

Plus, collaboration tips from a people analytics leader; helpful tactics for C-suite
influence; the power of managers; and inspiring thoughts from global voices.

Conclusion

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

The Next Step Forward

52

Acknowledgments

53

Methodology

542

Introduction

The
Transformationof L&D
Learning leads the way
through the Great Reshuffle.

In the sixth year of the Workplace Learning Report, change is the only
constant. LinkedIn calls these times the “Great Reshuffle” — a period
unlike anything in the history of work.
Living and working through the pandemic and economic and social
tumult has prompted individuals to prioritize flexibility and fulfillment.
Organizations are reexamining business strategies, workforce models,values, and culture — often steered by new demands from employees
themselves.
Amid this era of massive transformation, learning and development (L&D)
has a new mandate to become its best self. L&D leaders are answering
employees’ renewed calls for growth and purpose, and they’re grapplingwith the urgent challenge of future-proofing their organizations.
The transformation of L&D means learning leaders are knocking down
traditional silos to collaborate on a more holistic vision for HR. They’rereaching for fresh solutions to tie skill building to career paths, internal
mobility, and retention, while also bringing a new sense of care andhumanity to employee well-being, diversity, and inclusion.
Keeping pace with this rate of change is an enormous challenge. This
report is here to help. Success is built one step at a time, by capitalizing
on industry data, tapping the support and wisdom of colleagues, gleaning
advice from top thinkers, and — above all — championing a worldchanging notion: Learning is the foundation of any great endeavor.
Organizations that prize constant learning will lead the world as theybuild the new normal.

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

3

The Great Reshuffle
is redefining
work and skills

81%
25%
+25%
LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

of executives are changing theirworkplace policies to offer greater
flexibility to their workforce 1

LinkedIn members’ skills for the same
occupation changed by about 25%
from 2015 to 2021. At this pace, we
expect members’ skills will change
by about 40% by 2025 2

Globally, the share of memberschanging roles was up by 25% in
October 2021, compared with the prepandemic period in October 2019 3

4

3-minute takeaway
How can L&D leaders embrace transformation?

#1

#2

#3

Understand opportunities
and challenges

Add new thinking about theconvergence of HR disciplines

Unlock keys to success

The pandemic sped up digital transformationand the ever-enlarging skills gap.

Business volatility — especially employee
attrition — amplifies the need for HR silos
to break down walls and think holistically.

• Collaborate with HR colleagues

L&D innovators are focusing on theconvergence of talent development,
skill-based planning, and internal
mobility to build work culture basedon continuous learning.

• Activate managers

L&D has a new hot seat at the center ofadapting to change and a to-do list that has
never been longer.
Skilling, employee retention, well-being,
leadership, and DE&I are all urgent priorities.

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

• Stay close to the stakeholders• Budget wisely• Listen to learners• Never stop learning yourself

5Chapter 1

L&D in Transition
L&D has become more central,strategic, cross-functional —and overworked.

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

6

“The responsibility of learning
has always been to helporganizations navigate uncertainty
and chaos in the world.”
Linda Cai
Vice President Talent Development, LinkedIn

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

7

L&D’s staris rocketing
Learning leaders lived up to high expectations in the past two years — helping people
pivot to pandemic protocols, remote work, and hybrid operations. They now have their
executive leaders’ ears and will continue influencing how their organizations adapt tochange and reimagine the future.

L&D leaders agree that L&D has become more influential over the past year.

74%

72%

agree that L&D has become
more cross-functional 4agree that L&D has become a morestrategic function at their organization 4

87%

62%

had some to a great deal of involvement in
helping their organization adapt to change 4agree that L&D is focused on rebuilding
or reshaping their organization in 2022 4

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 20228

Jobs andpromotions
are growing

+15%
+94%

L&D pros saw 15% more
promotions this year, comparedwith their HR counterparts 5

Demand for L&D specialists
increased 94% in July –September 2021, comparedwith April – June 2021 5“It’s unsurprising that we see more andmore progressive companies naming chieflearning officers — as was the case withchief diversity officers when diversity became
recognized as a business advantage.”
Andrew Saidy
Vice President Global Talent,Ubisoft International
LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

9

The percent of L&D pros who expect to have more
spending power has reached a six-year high.4
48%
43%
37%

35%

More proof isin the budget
Is there any better indicator of priority than budget
dollars? Nearly half of L&D pros expect their budgets
to increase this year.4

33%

27%

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022*

Asia-Pacific is going biggest with budget.

Percent of L&D pros in each region who expect budgets to increase 4

40%
51%

North America

Europe, Middle East, Africa

57%

Asia-Pacific*Note that past surveys included more granular categories of budget increases. This year’s question
simply asked whether L&D pros expect their budget to increase, decrease, or remain the same.
LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

10

Learning lights up
company culture
Culture is having a watershed moment. According to Glint data, having
opportunities to learn and grow is now the number 1 factor that people say
defines an exceptional work environment.7 On top of that, employees whorate their culture highly are 25% more likely to be happy at work and 31%
more likely to recommend working at their organization.7
The headline is clear: Learning powers culture, and culture powers engaged
employees who are energized to innovate, delight customers, and beat thecompetition. Fortunately, almost two-thirds of L&D pros see their culture
moving in the right direction.

Top 5 driversof great work culture 7

64%

1. Opportunities to learn and grow*
2. Belonging
3. Organizational values
4. Support for well-beingof L&D pros saw theirorganization’s culture of learning
grow stronger in the past year 4

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

5. Collaboration* Previously ranked #9 in 2019 —a significant change in only two years

11Leadership and upskilling
top L&D’s to-do list
While competing priorities are pulling L&D pros in many
directions, they’re still able to rank their focus areas.
When we combine the upskilling and reskilling priorities
with digital upskilling, skills emerges as the most pressing
concern across the world.

The primary focus areas of L&D programs in 2022 4

Percent who selected the focus area as one of their top three choices

Leadership and management training

49%
Upskilling and reskilling employees

46%
Digital upskilling / digital transformation72%
focused on skills

26%
Diversity, equity, and inclusion

26%

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

12

A regional look at L&D priorities
Leadership and management training tops the list in every region except
Asia-Pacific, where a whopping 60% are focused on upskilling and reskilling.4

The primary focus areas of L&D programs by region 4
Percent who selected the focus area as one of their top three choices

Asia-Pacific

Europe, Middle East, Africa

North America

Upskilling and reskilling employees

Leadership and management training

Leadership and management training

60%
Leadership and management training

49%

48%

Upskilling and reskilling employees

Upskilling and reskilling employees

49%

44%

Digital upskilling / digital transformation

Digital upskilling / digital transformation

30%

33%

Employee performance support

24%

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

Diversity, equity, and inclusion

27%

39%
Diversity, equity, and inclusion

33%
Employee performance support

28%

13

Being popular
has its downside
Even as L&D leaders focus on leadership and skills programs, they’ve also
become much, much busier. We asked L&D pros this year to select all the
programs they are planning to deploy in 2022. When we compared thisyear’s results to last year’s, we found that the number of responses for every
single program we tracked year over year increased (either significantly or
directionally),4 illustrating just how full L&D’s plate really is and adding up tosignificant growing pains, which we’ll explore in the next chapter.

L&D programs to be deployed in 2022 vs. 2021 4
2021

2022
45%
37%

34%

42%

25%
12%

Diversity, equity,and inclusion
programs

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

41%

41%
28%

13%

Learning
competitions

31%

29%

12%

Leading throughchange programs

In-persontraining
programs

Virtuallunch-and-learn
programs

16%

Creativity
programs

16%

29%

30%

18%

Implicit-bias
trainings

25%
18%

Large-scale
Digital fluency or
upskilling ortransformation
reskilling programs
programs

Data analysis /analytics training
programs

14

Learning is becoming
central to everyday work
One way to reframe all this new pressure is to take a step back andrecognize that learning is rapidly becoming a critical part of many
peoples’ daily work, including the daily work of L&D pros themselves.
The trend shows up in one of the learning formats that L&D pros saythey’re likely to see more of this year: on-the-job learning throughprojects and gigs.

85%of L&D pros expect to see the same or moreon-the-job learning through projects or gigs 4“We are focusing on how to make Ketchum
a long-term, attractive career home, where folks
have many opportunities to move up and aroundinto different teams and projects. That starts
with embedding learning and skill building inpeople’s actual day-to-day experiences.”
Amanda Kowal Kenyon
Chief Employee Experience Officer,
Ketchum

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

15

A bright idea
Experiment with
innovative tools and formats“In the past of couple of years, we’ve seen aplethora of AI-enabled ed tech products entering
the market. Combined with other emerging
technologies such as virtual reality, augmented
reality, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things(IoT), there are some rather innovative products
out there to support workplace learning.
“While the page-turner e-learning courses and theutilitarian LMS are here to stay for the next little
while, there’s an opportunity to pilot more varied
L&D activities and tools: personalized learning
content using recommender systems, push content
via chatbots, peer-based knowledge sharing on
collaborative platforms, and the integration of
curated external content (third-party content)with custom internal in-house content.”
Stella Lee, PhD
Director, Paradox Learning

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

16

Chapter 2

New Challenges
L&D’s rapid rise spurs newpressure to deliver results.

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 202217

“Employees expect opportunities tolearn and grow without limitations,managers who understand individual
working styles and environments,
and companies that offer flexibility
as a standard of employment.”
Gogi Anand
Senior People Science Consultant, LinkedIn

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 202218

Welcome tothe hot seat
L&D is still responsible for producing high-impact, high-quality learning
experiences, but it’s now also being handed bigger, meatier problems
to solve — like future-proofing entire organizations. This means L&D
pros need to develop new ways of working and constant prioritization.
They also need to develop some new skills themselves — like stressmanagement, given the increasing concern about the skills gap (thedistance between the skills employers need and the skills workers have).

L&D pros perceive a growing skills gap.
They also see that leaders are concerned. 446%+4 pts. vs. 2021

say the skills gap is wider
at their organization

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

49%

+9 pts. vs. 2021

say executives are concerned that
employees do not have the right skills
to execute business strategy

19

L&D plays a weightyrole in DE&I strategy
The entire planet has shared both the battle against COVID-19 anda new awakening to the vast inequities in health, wealth, and opportunity.
The L&D response is strong. Learning teams are leading the educationalcharge for diversity, equity, and inclusion, with some taking full ownershipof DE&I strategy. The trend is strongest in North America, where a social
justice movement accompanied the pandemic.

L&D responsibilities include combating systemic challenges 4
L&D has taken full responsibility for the DE&I strategy

12%
L&D shares responsibility for the DE&I strategy

55% own or share
responsibility

43%
L&D does not play a role in our DE&I strategy

29%
We do not have a DE&I strategy, but we are creating one

7%
We do not have a DE&I strategy, and there are no plans to create one

8%

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

20

Emphasize psychologicalsafety in DE&I

A bright idea

“Diversity, equity, and inclusion programs are nota cultural ‘one size fits all’ around the world. For
instance, lots of companies have started rollingout DE&I training in Asia and found the Western
approach doesn’t work. Asking people to reveal
vulnerabilities openly, stressing politically correct
language, or having unskillfully facilitatedconversations can actually backfire, making
people feel anxious, resentful, and unsafe.
“Diversity and inclusion is the fundamental
foundation of psychological safety. But it helps
to pitch it as a path to higher performance.
People are not interested in remedial action
that’s going to shame them, but they areinterested in opportunities to become betterand more successful.”
Crystal Lim-Lange
CEO, Forest Wolf

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

21

L&D can’t
forget about careand well-being
With companies and employees rethinking what they want out of work,
care is moving to the center of conversations about reducing burnout
and boosting well-being.
The most critical factor in a caring employee experience is each
person’s manager. To that end, 49% of L&D pros put increased attention
on manager training and support this past year.4 But there’s room for
improvement: Only 25% say their organizations are prioritizing manager
training that’s focused on work-life balance and well-being.4

87%of L&D pros have helped
their organization become
more adaptable to change 4

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

Glint data shows that employees
who feel cared about at work are

3.2x
3.7x

more likely to report being happy
to work for their current company 8
more likely to recommend
working for their company 8

Managers matterAt companies that struggle with manager
care, employees are nearly 50% more
likely to apply for a new job.9 Today’s
managers need supercharged soft skills
to attract and retain talent.

22

Busy L&D pros
have less timeto learnFinding time to learn is not a new problem. But there is added urgency
around it. New challenges require tools outside the traditional L&D toolbox.
And while learning pros have developed bigger muscles in certain areas,
it’s clear there’s still some work to do. Unfortunately, L&D pros aren’t
keeping pace with others in the category of time spent learning.10

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

-23%

Compared with other active learners on LinkedIn,
L&D learners spent 23% less time learning in 2021

-35%

Compared to their HR colleagues, L&D learners
spent 35% less time learning in 2021

23

“Make sure your learning is aligned withbusiness skills. Rather than looking athours of learning and course completion
rates, instead focus on identifying whatskills are lacking in your organization.
With that alignment and clarity, L&D cancreate a skill-building program that’s inlock-step with your business strategy.”

Strategic thinking
requiresstrategic metrics

Lori Niles-Hofmann
Senior EdTech Transformation,
NilesNolen

Even as L&D programs become more strategic and cross-functional, many
L&D pros have not changed how they measure success. In 2022, the top way
learning leaders are gauging the success of their potentially highly impactful
upskilling and reskilling programs is the same way they’ve measured broader
online learning programs in the past: qualitative feedback.

Measurement methods are stagnant.
2021
How do you measure the impact of
online learning at your organization?

2022
How do you measure the impact ofskill-building programs at your organization?

#1 Qualitative feedback from employees using online courses#1 Qualitative feedback from employees using online courses#2 Satisfaction of employees using online courses#2 Employee engagement survey scores#3 Employee engagement survey scores#3 Manager feedback

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

24

Where L&D pros
are investing theirvaluable time now

Top 10 skills more likely to be
added to L&D pros’ LinkedIn
profiles in the past year
11

Percent growth year over year
Operations

54%
Corporate training

When L&D pros do find time to expand their skills, a few trends pop.
Operations — the key to getting things done at scale — tops the listof skills most likely to be added to L&D pros’ LinkedIn profiles. They’realso adding HR management and people development, pointing toan amplified demand for leadership abilities. And the rise of analyticalskills and data analysis shows a focus on numbers and business impact.

38%
HR management

29%
People development

24%
Training and development

23%
Presentation skills

22%
Learning management systems

19%
Analytical skills

14%
Engineering

13%
Finance

13%

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

25

RedThread Research data insights exclusively for the 2022 Workplace Learning Report

Where L&D
pros see theyneed to growin the future
RedThread Research’s recent
survey of more than 300
L&D professionals revealed
7 categories and 39 skills they
feel L&D will need for the future.*
As L&D’s role becomes morestrategic, it isn’t surprising thatseveral categories besides
traditional L&D made a showing.

Communication*This model was created coding L&D professionals’
responses to the open-ended question: What 3 skills
do you feel L&D functions will need for the future?
Responses were categorized into 39 skills, and thencategorized into groups of skills, as shown in the chart.

Technology
use

LeadingothersTechstrategy

Agility

Coaching
Motivation /engagement

Resilience
Productivity /efficiency

Consulting

Influencing

Technology

Strategic alignment skills

Adaptability /flexibility

Leadership

Personal
readiness

Storytelling

Collab/teamwork

Empathy

Managing
relationships

Data analysis

Data &
decision-making

Relationshipbuilding /networking

Research

Businesscore

MarketingBusiness
acumenLiteracy

L&D core

Personal
devplanning

Creativity /innovation

AssertivenessChangemgt

Content
curation

Project
mgt
Content
creation

Training
delivery
LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

DEIB

Learning
science

Humancentered
designLearning
exp design

Problemsolving

Strategic
thinking

External
environment
analysis

Ability to
upskill

Needs
analysis /evaluation
skills26

RedThread Research data insights exclusively for the 2022 Workplace Learning Report

Key skills for
L&D pros at
high-performing
organizations
Interestingly, L&D professionals in organizations with highperformance* feel that leadership skills are most important
for the future (18%). L&D functions are being asked totake the lead on several key organization-wide initiatives,
including upskilling the workforce and internal mobility.
This is a change for L&D professionals who have often
fought the stereotype of being order takers.

L&D pros in orgs with high performance
focus on leadership, core business skills.

Additionally, L&D professionals in these high-performing
organizations view business core skills to be as important as
L&D core skills (16%), as they are likely being asked to apply
their expertise in people development to some of thosemore strategic discussions.

Business core

*Organization performance was found using a combination of four businessoutcomes: (1) org met or exceeded its business goals for the last three years;(2) org responds quickly to marketplace changes; (3) org innovates fasterthan its competitors do; and (4) org’s customers are more satisfied than its
competitors’ customers. High-performing orgs are those in the top 25%.

Leadership18%
L&D core16%
16%
Data and decision-making

15%
Managing relationships

14%
Personal readiness

12%
Technology

8%LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

27

RedThread Research data insights exclusively for the 2022 Workplace Learning Report“L&D is having a bit of an ‘oh @#&%’
moment. L&D functions are being expected
to lead some pretty high-level initiatives,
like mobility and upskilling. Our data
indicates that L&D pros may feel
underprepared, and they’re actively seeking
leadership, business, and data skills as much
as, if not more than, traditional L&D skills.”
Dani Johnson
Co-Founder and Principal Analyst, RedThread Research

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

28

Chapter 3

Rethinking
Skill Building
Leaders can expand impact
by connecting skills to internal
mobility and retention.

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

29

“If you want to beleading the world, youhave to be learning.”
David Perring
Director of Research, Fosway Group

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 202230

Turn the skills crisis
into opportunity
Amid 2022’s storm of urgent priorities, skill building and skills-basedplanning stand out as the most impactful places to make progress.
While it’s natural to feel anxious that, for example, only 10% of HR andbusiness executives say their organizations have a skills databasewith profiles for all employees, there’s a light in the dark clouds.
Organizations that shift to skills-based planning have a unique chance
to catalyze learning culture and capitalize on emerging trends —especially the convergence of learning, talent acquisition,
talent development, and the red-hot rise of internal mobility.

10x
79%
54%

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

Employees who feel that their skills
are not being put to good use in
their current job are 10 times more
likely to be looking for a new job
than those who feel that their skills
are being put to good use 12

of L&D pros agree: It’s lessexpensive to reskill a current
employee​than to hire a new one 4of L&D pros agree that internal
mobility has become a higher
priority at their organization
since COVID-19 4

31

Just getting started?
You’re not alone
Many upskilling and reskilling programs are off to a strong start, but start is the operative
word. Only 15% of L&D pros say they have active upskilling and reskilling programs, andonly 5% have made it to the stage where they’re measuring and assessing results.4

Where learning leaders are in starting upskilling and reskilling programs
Ideation / Brainstorming

19%
Pitch / Sell-in to key stakeholders

39% in early stages

9%
Identifying / Assembling a core working team11%
Program development (identifying skill gaps, skill defining)

37%
Activation (piloting a program with a team)15%
Post-activation measurement / Assessment

5%
We have not begun development

4%
LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

32

Internal mobility
helps employees
grow — and stay
While the topsy-turvy economy can make it harder to predict
the future, one trend is clear: businesses are embracing internal
mobility. Cultivating a culture of internal mobility means giving
employees access to on-the-job learning opportunities, suchas mentorships, gigs, shadowing, and new jobs. The benefits
are increasingly obvious — retention, engagement, and agility,
as well as reduced costs and hiring time.

Nearly 2x
LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

Companies that excel at internal mobility are able toretain employees for an average of 5.4 years. That’s
nearly 2x as long as companies that struggle with it,
where the average retention span is 2.9 years.13

33

A bright idea
Foster internal mobility
by starting withan honest conversation“Right now we are looking into modernizing our employee
value proposition, particularly around career opportunity.
However long you’re part of our agency, whether it’s two
years or 30, you will have an enriching career journey thatwill provide opportunity and growth.
“This starts with open and intentional conversations about
where you are now, what comes next, and how we can
co-create a journey that’s very bespoke for you. Thatmight mean assigning you to a three-month project thatclosely aligns to your interests or giving you opportunities
to work with clients in different industries. While we can’t
always promise a change tomorrow, we can co-create acareer trajectory that gets you to where you want to grow.”
Amanda Kowal Kenyon
Chief Employee Experience Officer, Ketchum

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

34

Connect the dots
between skills,
mobility, and retention

Retention and internal mobility aren’t
at the top of L&D’s to-do list.
Top 10 focus areas of 2022 L&D programs

1. Leadership and management training
2. Upskilling or reskilling employees
3. Digital upskilling / digital transformation
4. Diversity, equity, and inclusion

In the context of the Great Reshuffle, organizations mustprioritize enabling employees’ personal success throughcareer development. Learning leaders can create more robust,
sustainable programs by connecting skill building to career
pathing, internal mobility, and retention.
However, many L&D pros haven’t made this connection yet.
While 46% of L&D pros said upskilling and reskilling was a
top focus area this year, internal mobility and career pathing
as well as employee retention fell toward the bottom.4

5. Employee performance support
6. Implementing learning tools and analytics
7. Leading through change
8. Employee well-being
9. Employee retention
10. Supporting internal mobility ​and career pathing

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

35

Employees
crave skills, too
L&D pros should remember the old adage “If I don’t care aboutit, I won’t remember it, and if I don’t remember it, I’m certainly notgoing to apply it.” Internal mobility, career pathing, and retention are
crucial programs that provide a consistent and reliable reason for
employees to care about, remember, and apply their new skills.

Employees’ top three motivations to learn are
all connected to careers.4#1

If it helps me stay up to date in my field#2

If it is personalized specifically for my interestsand career goals#3

If it helps me get another job internally, be promoted,
or get closer to reaching my career goals

People managers + L&D = impact
The number 1 reason people managers recommend learning
opportunities for direct reports is “to grow their career.” 14 Just as
telling: Employees without an L&D department are significantly
more likely to find it more difficult to change roles internally than toget a new role outside the company.15
LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

36

Chapter 4

How L&D Succeeds
L&D pros thrive by investing in
relationships, political capital,
resources — and themselves.

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

“Our top opportunity is to quantify
the impact and ensure it isenterprise-wide, so that learning
can help lead the way forward.”
Sean Hudson
Vice President, Digital and Global Head of Learning and Development,
PfizerLinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

38

Transformation
starts today
Today’s successful L&D function will need to break outof its vertical silo and instead spread itself horizontally
across its organization. That means working closely with
HR counterparts, executive leadership, and department
heads alike to craft learning strategy. While the journeyto this ideal may be one of a thousand miles, many
L&D leaders have already taken that first step.

Read on for a combination of data points
and advice to propel L&D forward.

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

39

Get help
from your friends“In a unique moment in time, whenorganizations can rethink theirapproach to many aspects of HR,
the collaboration between L&D andpeople analytics is resulting in more
effective, fact-based, and impactfullearning experiences.”

Many L&D pros said they’ve gotten more cross-functional this year,4 but there
is room to grow in terms of HR partners they’re working with. Talent acquisition
is a big area of opportunity this coming year, as skills-based hiring becomes
more important, and people analytics could become a strong partner toilluminate the business impact of skill-building programs.

L&D’s cross-functional partnerships
have grown year over year.
Percent of L&D partners working more closely
or somewhat more closely with cross-functional
peers since last year 4
More closely

34%

33%

32%

30%

28%

29%

25%
22%

Somewhat more closely

22%
15%

Diversity, equity,and inclusion

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

Nigel Dias
Managing Director, 3n Strategy

Employeeengagement

Talent management /Executive
development
leadership / C-suite

15%

Talentacquisition

13%

Peopleanalytics

40Collaboration
tips from Paypal’s
Global Head ofPeople Analytics#1
Start early.
Don’t underestimate the amount of work you need to
do up front to set up measurement for L&D programs.
Specifically, it takes time for programs to impact thebusiness, and data-cleaning efforts often take longer
than anticipated.

#2
Create experiments.

“Too often, I see the people analytics
team get pulled in too late. We missthe opportunity to help design theright type of experiment up front.”
Serena Huang, PhD
Head of People Analytics, Paypal

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

Design measurement programs that are like clinical
trials. For instance, use two separate course-delivery
formats (such as online and in-person) and then test
knowledge retention after a given timeframe.

#3
Use nudges.
Consider working with organizational psychologists
to design nudges (encouraging reminders) that
prompt learning. Design tests to find out which
nudges are most effective.

41

Stay close
to stakeholders
Significantly more L&D pros say they have a seat at
the C-suite table now than they did pre-pandemic.4
Tying learning programs to business impact basedon key organizational priorities, like internal mobility,
will be crucial in keeping this seat secure.

Percent of L&D pros who agree thatL&D has a seat at the executive table 4

53%
24%
2020

2022

Room to grow
While 59% of L&D pros say their CEO isa champion for L&D, that still leaves 41%
of CEOs with an opportunity to become
better advocates.

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

42

Helpful tactics
for C-suite
influence#1

Know the audience
Align L&D with the overall business strategy, but also
learn about the CEO’s personal priorities and passion
projects and demonstrate the contribution thatlearning can make.

#2 Speak C-suite

The C-suite is time-poor by definition. They measure
the value of ideas not necessarily by how much detailyou include but by how quickly they can grasp them.
Keep pitches brief, top-level, and framed in priorities,
performance, and profits.

#3 Don’t forget the CFO

Capitalize on any opportunity to demonstrate howlearning contributes to the bottom line.

#4 Cultivate C-level functional partners

Every skills gap that you help close is an opportunity
to recruit another senior advocate. Capture successstories and give a key role to department heads when
promoting them across the business.

#5 Be the visible C-suite priority

Learning can be the most visible aspect of businessstrategy — which spurs CEOs to lead from the front. Take
the time to involve your CEO in flagship learning initiatives.

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

43

Go big with budget
As mentioned earlier in the report, the percentage of L&D pros who
expect to have more spending power has reached a six-year high.4
Even more impressive? Only 8% expect their budget to decrease.4
This is great news given the amount of work L&D is being asked to do.
Now L&D leaders need to be smart about how they use the money.
They should consider outsourcing more manual and administrative
tasks, freeing up time to dig into the areas that drive business impact.

“Top L&D leaders are meticulous
planners who build their learning
budgets from several different sources.
They stay up to speed on what’s
happening in different teams anddifferent regions, and identify where
L&D can support wider local initiatives.”
Adapted from LinkedIn Learning’s Handbook of L&D Pioneers

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

44

Activate managers
Last year’s report declared managers the “secret skill-building weapon.” This year
the importance of managers has only grown — especially for remote and hybridbusinesses where employees have fewer serendipitous meetups to build their
networks and increase their sense of company culture.
“Now more than ever, my manager is equated with my experience in an
organization,” says Danny Guillory, vice president and chief diversity officer at
Dropbox, which has launched quarterly summits to support managers. While thedata shows many L&D pros leaning in to activate the power of managers, a word ofcaution: Managers have shown higher burnout levels recently, when compared withindividual contributors, so be wary of over-relying on these in-demand heroes.

L&D is tapping the power of managers.
How are you helping your organization
learn to be more adaptable and resilient? 4
Delivering learning programs to managers about
leading through change / change management

29%
Increasing number of trainings and support for managers

29%

Focusing on strengthening managers’ coaching skills

33%

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

45

Listen to learners
A lasting lesson of transformative times: The best source
for understanding what employees want and need is
employees themselves. In the past year more businesses
kept an active ear on employee sentiment by deploying
more frequent surveys, and L&D pros increasingly turned
to employee engagement surveys to gauge the impactof their programs.
At the same time, this year’s Workplace Learning Reportsurvey uncovered an uncomfortable truth: Only 20%of learners agree that their “organization’s leadershipvalues learning more now than ever before.” 4 Now is
the time to make sure learning is front and center inworkplace conversations.

50%

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

of L&D pros use employee
engagement survey scoresto assess the impact ofskill-building programs 4

46

Never stop
learning yourself
Don’t forget to invest in yourself. While L&D pros preach thepower of learning every day, many forget to make time for theirown development. There has never been a more important timefor L&D pros to invest in their own skill building.

Here are the top five LinkedIn Learning courses
L&D pros took this year to get you started. 16

Unconscious Bias
by Stacey Gordon​

Project Management Foundations
by Bonnie Biafore

Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging
by Pat Wadors

Speaking Confidently and Effectively
by Pete Mockaitis

Organizational Learning and Development
by Britt Andreatta

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

47

Leadership Skills
Influencing Others
by John Ullmen

Morerecommended
coursesWe’ve also compiled our own list of recommended courses wethink L&D leaders should take this year. These course selections
are based on data from both LinkedIn and RedThread Research,and they focus on skills we believe learning leaders will need tosucceed as the future of L&D unfolds.

Personal Readiness
Learning Agility
by Gary Bolles

Business Core Skills
Change Management Foundations
by Scott Mautz

Data and Decision-Making
Data-Driven Learning Design
by Lori Niles

Managing Relationships
Building Business Relationshipsby Simon T. Bailey

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

48

Make sure you’re a proactive partner“Don’t wait for the business or client to tell you what they need.
Proactively identify what’s happening externally and howthat impacts your business and people. L&D should focus on
anticipating the skills of the future, recommending learningtechnology, and sharing the value of learning with leaders.”
Nikhil Shahane
Vice President, Talent and Engagement, TechnipFMC

Remember that UX reigns supreme“In this over-digitized hybrid/remote workplace, if the learning
experience is not intuitive and exciting, it won’t capture theattention of learners.”

Tips, tactics, andinspiring words
from global voices
LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

Andrew Saidy
Vice President, Global Talent, Ubisoft International

Make learning a shared experience“Encourage continuous development and prompt people
to regularly share what they’re learning. Set up ‘learning
circles,’ where people can gain new perspectives and drive
unexpected innovation.”
Jodi Atkinson
Senior Director, Global Learning, Deltek

49Think about how to enable personal transformation

Lean onpeople analytics“L&D teams have always been strong consumersof data, using HR data to answer operationalquestions about attendance and delivery.
However, in the last 12 months, many L&D
functions are embracing a more matureapproach, asking their people analytics
functions to thoroughly explore and answer
questions such as, ‘Is our training impacting
everyone equally?’ Or, ‘Does our training build
critical skills for the future?’ Or, ‘Is training
positively contributing to employee retention?’ ”
Nigel Dias
Managing Director, 3n Strategy“Traditional L&D metrics like ease of access to learning content andcourse completions were meant to remove hurdles for employees. Theseshould be table stakes. Companies should be moving in the directionof enabling employees’ personal transformations — defined by each
employee individually. In other words, leaders need to say, ‘We believethat as long as our people are successful, our business will thrive.’ ”
Linda Cai
Vice President of Talent Development, LinkedIn

Harness the power of data and tech
“A lot of the transformation is being enabled by digital technology. We
are leveraging predictive and advanced analytics, as well as digital tools,
to not only make learning more quantifiable in its impact and more engaging
in the experience, but also truly transformational.”
Sean Hudson
Vice President, Digital and Global Head of Learning and Development, Pfizer

Consider digital mentorships to enhance learning connections“Remember when mentorship was a phone call or a brief meeting at
Starbucks? To re-create those experiences in our hybrid way of working,
we’ve leaned in to a digital-mentorship program. Our platform is mentee
driven, meaning that the mentees choose their mentor from algorithm-based
recommendations. Many have opted for mentors in an entirely different
division or geographic region. We are thrilled to see that people want toleverage and build relationships across the globe.”
Jeff Hahn
Senior Director of Global Talent Development, LexisNexis Risk Solutions

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

50

Look to sports for a winning analogy

Move fromlearning design tolearning journey“L&D can learn a lot from their friends in marketing.
It starts with taking a systematic approach to thebusiness problem you’re trying to solve. Then build
out stakeholder personas and their goals. Set
numbers and KPIs before your intervention, so you
are ready to monitor, collect, and analyze data.
When you’re ready to structure the learning journey,
think strategically about how often to communicate
with your stakeholders, how to get them to click andview their learning module, and ultimately to provide
the valuable feedback that will help you fuel anditerate on your learning strategy.”David Perring
Director of Research, Fosway Group

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

“Challenge business partners with this thought: ‘Show me asports team that is not committed to learning and development,
and I’ll show you a team that will lose.’ ”
Torrance L. Ford
Vice President, Talent Management, Shaw Industries

Skilling programs need to work for employers —and employees“An effective upskill and reskill plan needs to be employeecentered, context-specific, and personalized. It needs to be
based on the balance between the learners’ professional goals
and the employers’ needs.”
Stella Lee, PhD
Director, Paradox Learning

Embrace the chance to tie it all together“L&D is primed to evolve as the connector of people, resources,and experiences that provide continuous growth and successfor the employee. From onboarding to career development toexit, L&D will merge business needs with employee needs andcreate relevant ways for employees to stretch themselves daily
throughout their entire career.”
Alyson DeMaso
Founder and CEO, Raising Beauty

51

Conclusion

The Next Step Forward
The truly strategic L&D leader has
pulled up a chair and finally sat down
to stay awhile at the executive table.
They’ve transformed their organization from a siloed, vertical function into one thatsits horizontally across HR. Their team works hand in hand with HR and businesscolleagues, laying skills-based talent development and learning side by side withmutual workforce objectives.
They empower individuals to own their career development, ensuring everyone hasaccess to the tools and motivation they need to become lifelong, continuous learners.
They also know that no matter where they are on the journey, progress starts today.

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

52

Acknowledgments
This report was informed by contributions from people
around the world, to whom we owe our sincere thanks.
Jodi Atkinson of Deltek

LinkedIn Voices

Creative

Rabah Bu Hamdan of National Aviation Services

Gogi AnandAndrew DeBenedictis

Alyson DeMaso of Raising Beauty

Melissa BarryDavid Dodge

Nigel Dias of 3n Strategy

Linda CaiTim Dolen

Torrance L. Ford of Shaw Industries, Inc.

Kenji Matsumoto

Kevin Frank

Danny Guillory of Dropbox

Ryan Roslansky

Jared Freeden

Jeff Hahn of LexisNexis Risk Solutions

Kaelin McGill

Serena Huang, PhD, of Paypal

Rachel Mui

Sean Hudson of Pfizer

Chase Stevens

Dani Johnson of RedThread Research
Amanda Kowal Kenyon of Ketchum
Stella Lee, PhD, of Paradox Learning
Crystal Lim-Lange of Forest Wolf
Lori Niles-Hofmann of NilesNolenDavid Perring of Fosway Group
Andrew Saidy of Ubisoft International
Nikhil Shahane of TechnipFMC

Research and Insights

Editorial and Thought Leadership

Eric Knudsen

Laurie Moot, lead editor

Gopika Maya SanthoshAnne McSilver, PDF report

Stephanie Scalice

Ellen Gomes

Kai Stritter

Kris Kitto
Anthony Santa Maria

Stacia Sherman Garr of RedThread Research
Johanna Bolin Tingvall of Spotify

LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

53

Methodology
1.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/navigating-great-reshuffle-ryan-roslansky

2.

https://linkedin.github.io/future-of-skills/

3.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/job-transitions-across-globe-up-25-great-reshuffle-labor-kimbrough/4.

Workplace Learning Report survey: Using an internal LinkedIn sample, we surveyed 1,444 L&D Professionals and 610 Learners inNovember 2021 in English, French, German, and Portuguese. The full list of places we surveyed includes the US, Canada, Brazil,
the UK, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Austria, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark,Australia, New Zealand, India, Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Hong Kong.

5.

To compare promotion rates between L&D specialists and the broader set of all HR professionals, we compared what proportionof all job transitions from these roles were promotions between December 2020 and November 2021.

6.

Demand for roles is measures by the number of job posts for that given role on LinkedIn. Demand for L&D specialists increased
94% in July – September 2021, compared with April – June 2021.

7.

https://www.glintinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Glint-May-2021-Employee-Well-Being-Report.pdf

8.

https://business.linkedin.com/content/dam/me/business/en-us/glint/pdf/Employee-Well-Being-Report-LinkedIn-Glint.pdf

9.

https://www.linkedin.com/business/talent/blog/talent-strategy/stressed-employees-browse-unsupported-employee-apply

10. To compare learning times, the average time that active L&D specialists spent watching LinkedIn Learning courses was comparedwith the average time spent among all HR professionals and all active learners between December 2020 and November 2021.
11. Top skills added to L&D professions’ LinkedIn profiles are those that saw the greatest year-over-year growth (2021 vs. 2020) andwere added by at least 7,000 professionals in 2021.
12. These insights were derived from self-reported data collected from a LinkedIn sample of 2,036 members during September 2021.
13. https://www.linkedin.com/business/talent/blog/talent-strategy/where-internal-mobility-is-most-common
14. This self-reported data was collected from an internal LinkedIn sample of 2,869 LinkedIn members during November 2021.
Among this survey sample, 1,849 employed members provided data for these questions.
15. This self-reported data was collected from an internal LinkedIn sample of 2,626 LinkedIn members during December 2021.
16. The most popular courses for L&D specialists are based on global data from the LinkedIn Learning platform between
December 2020 and November 2021. Top courses are based on the number of unique learners within the L&D cohort.
LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2022

54

Explore how
LinkedIn Learning
can help your teamGet in touch with us to schedule a free demo and discuss how LinkedIn
Learning can help you navigate transformation while employees learn
relevant skills, achieve their goals, and make a greater impact.

Get a free demo now
Request a demo or contact sales at 1-844-587-5735.

LinkedIn Learning Workplace Learning Report 2021