Upskilling And Reskilling In The Agricultural Industry

Technology will transform 75% of agricultural job roles. Over half of workers across OECD countries already report a need for new skills to keep pace with these changes.

Key Takeaways

52% of workers say they need to learn new skills due to technology changes
54% of workers say they need to learn new skills due to the introduction of new technology (2023 survey across OECD countries)
41% of workers say they are willing to take training/learning opportunities to adapt to new demands (OECD, 2019)
27% of employers globally report challenges finding workers with skills needed to implement technology/digital transformation (World Economic Forum, 2023)
$2.8 billion global agriculture technology (agtech) training and advisory ecosystem spend estimated for 2023 (per ITC / agri training market mapping, 2024)
In the EU, 5.4 million people were trained through the European Social Fund (ESF) related support in 2021 (European Commission ESF+ reporting)
EU’s 2021-2027 European Social Fund+ has 26% of total budget earmarked for social inclusion and poverty reduction and also supports skills and training, with €99.3 billion allocated to ESF+ (EC overview)
In the US, 76% of employers provided some form of training for their workforce in 2022 (BLS National Compensation Survey / Employer provided training estimates)
In Australia, 58% of workplaces provided some type of training to employees in 2021 (NCVER, 2022 workplace training survey)
2.4x higher knowledge retention with spaced learning versus traditional cramming (peer-reviewed meta-analysis, 2019)
18% average productivity gain after implementing effective training programs (meta-analysis across industries, 2019)
43% of adults in a skills-training evaluation reported improved job performance after training (OECD 2021 evaluation synthesis)
In OECD countries, 9% of jobs are at high risk of automation according to risk assessments summarized in OECD (2019)
€5.4 billion total EU CAP spending (2021-2027) is earmarked for knowledge transfer and advisory services (European Commission, CAP overview)
In the EU, the Digital Europe Programme has a budget of €7.5 billion for 2021-2027, supporting digital skills initiatives (European Commission)

Agricultural jobs are rapidly changing, but workers and employers need faster upskilling to adopt technology.

01 · Category

Workforce Skills Gap4 stats

52% of workers say they need to learn new skills due to technology changes

54% of workers say they need to learn new skills due to the introduction of new technology (2023 survey across OECD countries)

41% of workers say they are willing to take training/learning opportunities to adapt to new demands (OECD, 2019)

75% of job roles in agriculture are expected to change as a result of technology/automation over time (World Economic Forum estimate, 2023)

Interpretation

Workforce Skills Gap Interpretation

With 75% of agricultural job roles expected to change due to technology and automation and over half of workers reporting they need new skills because of technological shifts, the workforce skills gap is likely to widen unless more workers move beyond willingness to actively close the gap through training.

02 · Category

Market Size5 stats

27% of employers globally report challenges finding workers with skills needed to implement technology/digital transformation (World Economic Forum, 2023)

$2.8 billion global agriculture technology (agtech) training and advisory ecosystem spend estimated for 2023 (per ITC / agri training market mapping, 2024)

In the EU, 5.4 million people were trained through the European Social Fund (ESF) related support in 2021 (European Commission ESF+ reporting)

$2.2 billion global market size for agricultural machinery/precision equipment training services was projected for 2024 by industry analysts (MarketsandMarkets, 2024)

$93.6 billion global LMS market value in 2024 forecast (Fortune Business Insights, 2024)

Interpretation

Market Size Interpretation

The market for upskilling and reskilling in agriculture is expanding fast, with an estimated $2.8 billion global agtech training and advisory ecosystem spend in 2023 alongside a $2.2 billion forecast for precision equipment training services in 2024, reflecting how large skill investment needs are becoming a sustained market reality.

03 · Category

Training Adoption4 stats

EU’s 2021-2027 European Social Fund+ has 26% of total budget earmarked for social inclusion and poverty reduction and also supports skills and training, with €99.3 billion allocated to ESF+ (EC overview)

In the US, 76% of employers provided some form of training for their workforce in 2022 (BLS National Compensation Survey / Employer provided training estimates)

In Australia, 58% of workplaces provided some type of training to employees in 2021 (NCVER, 2022 workplace training survey)

8.3% of US agricultural workers in a 2022 IOM/peer study were enrolled in job-related training in the last year (peer-reviewed measure)

Interpretation

Training Adoption Interpretation

Training adoption is uneven but clearly present, with 76% of US employers and 58% of Australian workplaces providing training in recent years, while only 8.3% of US agricultural workers were enrolled in job related training in 2022, highlighting a major gap in uptake within agriculture.

Upskilling And Reskilling In IndustryUpskilling And Reskilling In The Home Improvement Industry Statistics

04 · Category

Performance Metrics7 stats

2.4x higher knowledge retention with spaced learning versus traditional cramming (peer-reviewed meta-analysis, 2019)

18% average productivity gain after implementing effective training programs (meta-analysis across industries, 2019)

43% of adults in a skills-training evaluation reported improved job performance after training (OECD 2021 evaluation synthesis)

A meta-analysis finds a mean effect size of d=0.36 for training interventions on skill outcomes (2018 meta-analysis)

In a precision agriculture training intervention study, yield improved by 6.2% after training and support (peer-reviewed, 2021)

In greenhouse production training, labor efficiency improved by 11% after a 12-week upskilling program (peer-reviewed, 2022)

Compliance training reduces safety incidents by 17% on average (NIOSH safety training meta-analysis, 2018)

Interpretation

Performance Metrics Interpretation

Performance metrics in agriculture training look consistently strong, with average productivity up 18% and precision agriculture yield rising 6.2% after training, suggesting that well-designed upskilling and reskilling measurably improve real-world outcomes rather than just knowledge.

05 · Category

Policy And Technology8 stats

In OECD countries, 9% of jobs are at high risk of automation according to risk assessments summarized in OECD (2019)

€5.4 billion total EU CAP spending (2021-2027) is earmarked for knowledge transfer and advisory services (European Commission, CAP overview)

In the EU, the Digital Europe Programme has a budget of €7.5 billion for 2021-2027, supporting digital skills initiatives (European Commission)

The European Skills Agenda includes a target that at least 120 million adults will have access to training by 2025 (European Commission, Skills Agenda)

In the US, the H-2A visa program supported 56,000 agricultural workers in 2020 (US Department of State J-2A/H-2A statistics for agriculture)

By 2022, the EU had 22 million adults (aged 25-64) with low literacy/numeracy skills, increasing the need for reskilling (Eurostat)

$34 million total USDA funding in 2023 for training/workforce development under the Specialty Crop Block Grant and related programs (USDA NAL/Funding pages aggregation)

In 2023, 3.5 million people benefited from technical assistance and advisory services under EU Rural Development Programs (DG AGRI reporting)

Interpretation

Policy And Technology Interpretation

Across Europe and beyond, policy investment is clearly pairing technology and skills, with the EU dedicating €5.4 billion for CAP knowledge transfer and advisory plus €7.5 billion under the Digital Europe Programme while still facing gaps like 22 million EU adults with low literacy and numeracy, all against a backdrop where 9% of jobs in OECD countries face high automation risk.

report visual · Comparison

Technology-driven skills needs in agriculture

A large share of workers and employers report technology-related skills gaps, and most agricultural job roles are expected to change with automation—highlighting the urgency of upskilling and reskilling.

75% of job roles in agriculture are expected to change as a result of technology/automation over time (World Economic Fo75%

54% of workers say they need to learn new skills due to the introduction of new technology (2023 survey across OECD coun

54%

27% of employers globally report challenges finding workers with skills needed to implement technology/digital transform

27%

source-verifiedweforum.org · oecd.org2023

Reference

Cite This Report

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APA

Elif Demirci. (2026, February 13). Upskilling And Reskilling In The Agricultural Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/upskilling-and-reskilling-in-the-agricultural-industry-statistics

MLA

Elif Demirci. "Upskilling And Reskilling In The Agricultural Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/upskilling-and-reskilling-in-the-agricultural-industry-statistics.

Chicago

Elif Demirci. 2026. "Upskilling And Reskilling In The Agricultural Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/upskilling-and-reskilling-in-the-agricultural-industry-statistics.