A Udemy, a learning platform and skills marketplace, recently launched the 2025 Global Learning and Skills Trends Report. With data from nearly 17,000 Udemy corporate customers, the study, published annually by the platform, highlights the most sought-after skills and learning topics, pointing to the future of learning and work. This year’s report shows that organizations continue to bet on generative AI, but they are investing more in its specific and practical applications, which help maximize productivity, as well as in soft skills and leadership development, aiming to successfully guide employees in a time of constant change.
“Generative AI has the potential to deliver significant productivity gains, accelerate skill development, and drive business growth. Therefore, organizations that adopt the technology and train their employees in it are more likely to remain competitive and better positioned for success,” says Raphael Spinelli, Udemy’s Regional Director for Latin America.
According to Udemy’s report, the top three areas in learning and talent development where companies should invest next year are:
1) Companies should develop practical generative AI skills that lead to applicable solutions. While organizations were previously focused on learning the fundamentals of generative AI, they are now focused on its practical application, aiming for teams to implement the technology in their daily workflow.
• Learning about generative AI for productivity grew by 859% compared to the previous year.
• Learning about LangChain, a framework for application development, grew by 3,949%.
• Consumption of various courses for AI certifications increased. Learning about Microsoft Azure AI Engineer Associate grew by 311%, while learning about Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals grew by 197%.
• So far, generative AI courses on Udemy have attracted over 4 million enrollments, with eight new enrollments every minute.
2) With the growth of generative AI skill learning, soft skills should also grow to stimulate creativity and collaboration. By developing both soft skills and generative AI skills, companies can ensure that new technologies are combined with the creativity and innovation inherent to humans.
• Companies have invested in skills such as problem-solving (103% growth), team building (79% growth), and business communication (41% growth). The idea is for employees to use the time saved with generative AI on more strategic work requiring human skills.
• In addition to helping professionals use technology in the best possible way, soft skills can solve communication gaps, increase team collaboration, and promote mentorship opportunities at a time when most companies have at least some in-office workdays per week.
3) Leading by example improves the role of leadership in a time of constant change and how employees perceive leaders. Leaders should invest in learning about change management and soft skills, as well as generative AI skills, to successfully guide employees in the AI-enabled work era.
• Leadership fundamentals are one of the top ten most consumed business skills on Udemy in the past year.
• Udemy’s study shows that nine out of 10 employees believe their leadership team is crucial to the success of generative AI initiatives, but less than half (48%) believe their leaders are ready to lead these initiatives.
To read the full report, learn how organizations can leverage Udemy’s suite of resources with generative AI technology, and see the programming specifically designed for soft skills and leadership development, visit here.
Methodology
For the report, Udemy analyzed data from nearly 17,000 customers worldwide. The total consumption of Udemy Business learners across all course topics was calculated for the year spanning July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024. The percentage growth in course consumption was calculated compared to the year spanning July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023. The total consumption ranking for AI topics was also obtained from the period between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024.
