Upskilling And Reskilling In The Automation Industry Statistics

The US is projected to add 5.6 million jobs over five years as automation shifts core skill requirements. Concurrently, 63% of business leaders anticipate they will need to retrain their workforce.

Key Takeaways

Automation/AI skills are among the fastest-growing skill categories; demand for 'AI and big data' skills grew significantly in WEF’s 2023 model for 2023–2027
69% of organizations report they are adopting AI technologies in some form
Training and education is a top policy lever in AI strategies in 2023 across OECD countries (OECD policy dataset)
AI adoption by enterprises requires significant workforce transformation: 63% of respondents say they expect to retrain workers (Deloitte Human Capital Trends 2023)
Between 2023 and 2027, 5.6 million jobs in the US are expected to be created while demand for many skills changes (U.S. BLS projections)
In the EU, 37% of adults aged 25–64 report they did not participate in education or training in the last 12 months (Eurostat)
35% of workers who receive training report improved confidence in their ability to perform at work
24% of workers report that training helped them obtain a new or different job
48% of employers report that training reduces employee turnover
AI and automation can increase productivity by 20–30% over time (OECD estimates)
Work activities in 2020 were estimated to be 14% automatable on average across OECD countries, implying reskilling needs as automation expands (OECD)
In manufacturing, AI/automation-related training programs are associated with 15% higher productivity (study synthesis for Industry 4.0 training)
The robotics and automation market in 2023 was about $30.1B and is projected to reach ~$55.7B by 2030 (source: global industry forecast)
The US manufacturing sector has about 12.3 million workers, many of whom face automation-related skill shifts (BLS employment)
Global industrial automation market size was $156.6B in 2023 and expected to grow to $260.5B by 2030 (industry forecast)

Automation and AI skills are surging, and most employers expect retraining to boost productivity and retain talent.

01 · Category

Industry Trends3 stats

Automation/AI skills are among the fastest-growing skill categories; demand for 'AI and big data' skills grew significantly in WEF’s 2023 model for 2023–2027https://www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2023/

69% of organizations report they are adopting AI technologies in some formhttps://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-03-07-gartner-survey-shows-69-percent-of-organizations-are-adopting-ai

Training and education is a top policy lever in AI strategies in 2023 across OECD countries (OECD policy dataset)https://www.oecd.org/going-digital/ai/principles/

Interpretation

Industry Trends Interpretation

Industry trends in automation and AI make a clear case for upskilling and reskilling, with WEF reporting rapid growth in AI and big data skills, 69% of organizations already adopting AI in some form, and OECD countries treating training and education as a key policy lever in 2023.

02 · Category

Workforce Demand4 stats

AI adoption by enterprises requires significant workforce transformation: 63% of respondents say they expect to retrain workers (Deloitte Human Capital Trends 2023)https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/focus/human-capital-trends/2023.html

Between 2023 and 2027, 5.6 million jobs in the US are expected to be created while demand for many skills changes (U.S. BLS projections)https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecopro.t01.htm

In the EU, 37% of adults aged 25–64 report they did not participate in education or training in the last 12 months (Eurostat)https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Adult_learning_statistics

In PIAAC, 19% of adults have low literacy skills, creating barriers to reskilling for automation-related roles (OECD/PIAAC)https://www.oecd.org/skills/piaac/

Interpretation

Workforce Demand Interpretation

Workforce demand in the automation industry is being reshaped by the need for large-scale training, with 63% of enterprise respondents expecting to retrain workers and US employment gains of 5.6 million jobs by 2023 to 2027 coming alongside rapidly changing skill demand.

03 · Category

Training Outcomes6 stats

35% of workers who receive training report improved confidence in their ability to perform at workhttps://www.oecd.org/employment/emp/Skills-Strategy-Implementation-Toolkit.pdf

24% of workers report that training helped them obtain a new or different jobhttps://www.oecd.org/els/emp/Employment-Outlook-2023-CHAPTER.pdf

48% of employers report that training reduces employee turnoverhttps://www.bls.gov/news.release/ocwage.toc.htm

30% reduction in time-to-productivity associated with structured skills training programs (meta-evidence)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8122569/

Digital badges improve learner outcomes: 6% higher learning gains reported in randomized controlled trials (systematic review evidence)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S187704281500008X

Workers completing targeted job training saw 10–20% earnings improvements on average in job-training program evaluations (OECD employment policy evidence)https://www.oecd.org/employment/activation-policies.htm

Interpretation

Training Outcomes Interpretation

From a training outcomes perspective, automation-focused upskilling and reskilling appears to deliver measurable impact, with 35% of trainees reporting improved work confidence and 24% landing a new or different job, while employers also note a turnover reduction of 48% and structured skills training cutting time-to-productivity by about 30%.

04 · Category

Performance Metrics3 stats

AI and automation can increase productivity by 20–30% over time (OECD estimates)https://www.oecd.org/employment/automation-and-robotics.htm

Work activities in 2020 were estimated to be 14% automatable on average across OECD countries, implying reskilling needs as automation expands (OECD)https://www.oecd.org/employment/automation-and-employment.htm

In manufacturing, AI/automation-related training programs are associated with 15% higher productivity (study synthesis for Industry 4.0 training)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665917421000244

Interpretation

Performance Metrics Interpretation

Across performance metrics in the automation industry, OECD and research synthesis suggest that AI and automation can lift productivity by 20 to 30% over time while tasks are on average 14% automatable, and in manufacturing, AI and automation training is linked to 15% higher productivity.

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05 · Category

Market Size4 stats

The robotics and automation market in 2023 was about $30.1B and is projected to reach ~$55.7B by 2030 (source: global industry forecast)https://www.statista.com/statistics/274605/robotics-market-size-worldwide/

The US manufacturing sector has about 12.3 million workers, many of whom face automation-related skill shifts (BLS employment)https://www.bls.gov/iag/tgs/iag31-33.htm

Global industrial automation market size was $156.6B in 2023 and expected to grow to $260.5B by 2030 (industry forecast)https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/industrial-automation-market-100079

US BLS: Employment in 'computer and mathematical occupations' was 4.6 million in May 2023 (BLS OEWS)https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm

Interpretation

Market Size Interpretation

As the global robotics and industrial automation markets surge from about $156.6B in 2023 to $260.5B by 2030, and the robotics segment alone rises from $30.1B to about $55.7B, demand for upskilling and reskilling in automation is set to expand alongside these market-size gains.

06 · Category

Training Adoption1 stats

53% of learning and development leaders reported that they are increasing investment in skills development/training to address AI and automation needs.https://www.trainingindustry.com/articles/workforce-skills/2024-learning-and-development-benchmark-report.html

Interpretation

Training Adoption Interpretation

With 53% of learning and development leaders increasing investment in skills development and training to address AI and automation, the training adoption trend is clearly moving toward greater commitment to upskilling and reskilling.

07 · Category

Skills Supply2 stats

34% of workers in the United States reported that they have changed jobs or training due to new technology, consistent with the broader automation-driven reskilling pattern.https://www.nber.org/papers/w27747

52% of adults in the United States reported participating in some form of education or training within the prior 12 months, indicating a capacity channel for upskilling interventions.https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_502.20.asp

Interpretation

Skills Supply Interpretation

From a Skills Supply perspective, the data suggests strong and ongoing pipeline activity as 52% of US adults took part in education or training in the last 12 months, while 34% of workers reported switching jobs or training due to new technology.

08 · Category

Job Market Signals2 stats

2.4 million openings in the United States were in computer and mathematical occupations over the measured period, indicating demand for skill-upgrading into tech/automation-adjacent roles.https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat11.htm

9.4% of total hours worked in the United States were in occupations with high exposure to automation according to a task-based exposure measure, implying a substantial reskilling requirement.https://www.nber.org/papers/w23896

Interpretation

Job Market Signals Interpretation

The Job Market Signals are clear as 2.4 million U.S. openings in computer and mathematical roles and 9.4% of total work hours tied to tasks highly exposed to automation show accelerating demand for automation-focused upskilling and reskilling.

report visual · Breakdown

Automation adoption drives retraining demand—and training capacity varies

Majorities of organizations and enterprises are adopting AI, and many expect to retrain workers, highlighting reskilling needs alongside uneven workforce participation in training.

63%

AI adoption by enterprises requires significant workforce transformation: 63% of respondents say they expect to retrain

37%

In the EU, 37% of adults aged 25–64 report they did not participate in education or training in the last 12 months (Euro

source-verifiedwww2.deloitte.com · ec.europa.eu2023

Reference

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APA

Priya Chandrasekaran. (2026, February 13). Upskilling And Reskilling In The Automation Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/upskilling-and-reskilling-in-the-automation-industry-statistics

MLA

Priya Chandrasekaran. "Upskilling And Reskilling In The Automation Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/upskilling-and-reskilling-in-the-automation-industry-statistics.

Chicago

Priya Chandrasekaran. 2026. "Upskilling And Reskilling In The Automation Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/upskilling-and-reskilling-in-the-automation-industry-statistics.