These countries are most invested in professional development
'The world of work is constantly changing.' Image: Unsplash/Lucian Novosel
Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale
Stay up to date:
Education, Gender and Work
- Many people in the digital workforce are now investing in professional training such as language and IT courses, to give them a competitive edge.
- Out of 15,661 respondents in different countries around the world, Chinese people are most likely to invest money in professional training.
- Interest in this area is significantly lower in the U.S.
Globalization, digitization and now the Covid crisis: the world of work is constantly changing. That's why many people in the workforce are investing in professional training, such as language and IT courses or coaching, in order to remain competitive. According to a recent Statista Global Consumer Survey of 15,661 respondents in countries around the world, Chinese people are particularly likely to invest money in professional training.
18 percent of respondents from China have taken a paid online course in the past twelve months. 12 percent have taken an individual/private course and 7 percent have consulted a business or life coach. Adults in Spain and Russia are also among those most likely to have invested in professional training.
In the United States, interest is not quite as high. There, 7 percent of respondents say they have spent money on professional online courses in the past 12 months. 5 percent of respondents have taken an individual course and 3 percent have taken part in paid coaching.
Don't miss any update on this topic
Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.
License and Republishing
World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.
The Agenda Weekly
A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda
You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.
More on Jobs and the Future of WorkSee all
Cydney Roach
September 19, 2024
Cynthia Hansen
September 17, 2024
Carlos Sanvee
September 6, 2024
Madeleine North
August 29, 2024
Philipp Carlsson-Szlezak and Paul Swartz
August 15, 2024
Juan Carlos Thomas
August 15, 2024