Skill gaps are hindering organizations from achieving strategic objectives, due to fragmented and unmeasured approaches.

That’s according to the 2025 Global Skills Intelligence Survey from Skillsoft, which canvassed 1,000 HR and L&D professionals across the US, UK, Germany, and Australia.

The survey found that just 10% of those surveyed said they are fully confident in the skills available in their workforce to meet the needs of the business over the next 12-24 months.

Furthermore, critical business functions including leadership, AI, and technology were identified as the most significant skill shortages. 

With HR leaders placing significant prominence on AI as a foundation of the future of work, this gap will be of real concern, while workers are also hitting ceilings on their use of AI without proper training.

Skillsoft found that nearly one third (28%) of HR and L&D professionals believe that skills are the key factor that could make or break their organization’s growth, limiting opportunities to expand into new markets.

Speaking exclusively with UNLEASH, Ciara Harrington, Chief People Officer at Skillsoft, says the survey findings reiterate “how unprepared the majority of organizations are” to contend with a rapidly evolving workforce and changing economy, with “significant skills gaps in areas essential for business growth.”

“For a long time, skills gaps felt like background noise that was ever-present in organizations, but now they are front and center, directly impacting whether or not businesses can hit their goals,” Harrington explains.

She adds that these skills barriers persist not due to a lack of investment in development, but because efforts are “often misaligned”.

Employees want learning that’s relevant and practical, yet many are still receiving generic content that doesn’t reflect the realities of their roles or the pace of change of the business,” Harrington says.

Skills are the currency of performance

Skillsoft’s research shows that while skills development plans are in place at 85% of organizations, just 20% of respondents believe they are aligned with strategic objectives and only 6% rate these programs as ‘outstanding’.

Common pain points highlighted by respondents included fragmented solutions that are overly manual and lacking customization.

Meanwhile, the most common barriers to talent development program success were found to be employee engagement (42%) and a lack of time for training (41%).

“The findings confirm that skills, not roles, are now the currency of performance,” Harrington comments.

“And in this new economy of human-AI collaboration, visibility into workforce capability is no longer optional. It’s foundational.”

Despite business transformation and skills development being a priority for HR, L&D and business leaders alike, visibility in workforce ability and skills remains low.

The survey shows just 18% of respondents measure success of talent development programs through regular skill assessments through learning journeys, but 49% are in favor of AI built into skills intelligence tools to improve accuracy and relevance.

“Leaders need real-time visibility to their team’s capabilities and can no longer rely on traditional approaches. This is where “skills intelligence” becomes key, Harrington concludes.

“Organizations need a dynamic, accurate view of what skills exist, how they’re evolving and how effectively people and AI agents can work together. 

Companies that embrace skills intelligence will gain the visibility, agility, and confidence to adapt quickly. Those who don’t will be left guessing.”