Upskilling And Reskilling In The Chemicals Industry Statistics

Upskilling and reskilling are becoming essential for chemical companies as automation, digital tools, and cybersecurity needs change day-to-day work. With 2.2 million unfilled manufacturing job vacancies in the US in 2023, organizations must train to close capability gaps. Across the EU and the US, this page breaks down the most in-demand skills and the partnerships and learning approaches that help scale them.

Key Takeaways

By 2026, the global workforce is expected to have a net skills shortfall of 85 million workers in 2030 scenario framing (World Economic Forum), pushing upskilling in industrial sectors including chemicals
A 2023 European Commission report indicates that 54% of workers will need training in their current job roles due to automation and technology shifts
In EU industry partnerships, 1.2 million learners expected to be supported through skills partnerships for industrial transformation under the Pact for Skills framework (2021-2023), enabling reskilling relevant to chemical value chains
The global learning and development market is projected to reach $90.2 billion by 2026, indicating continued investment capacity for enterprise reskilling
EU Member States invested €10.7 billion in training-related measures under the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) in 2021-2022 start, enabling workforce upskilling including in industrial sectors
In a survey of manufacturing firms, 71% reported that training reduces operating costs, a direct ROI pathway for chemical plants
90% of HR and L&D professionals say their organizations use skills data to make decisions, reflecting a data-driven approach to upskilling and reskilling
2/3 of organizations use a learning management system (LMS) for corporate training, enabling scalable reskilling programs
44% of employees say they are willing to learn new skills to stay at their jobs, suggesting workforce receptiveness to reskilling
6.5% of chemical company job postings in 2023 in the US included skills related to automation/controls, indicating demand pull for upskilling in these areas
12% of manufacturing job postings in 2023 required data analytics skills, a growing reskilling driver for chemical data-rich operations
Cybersecurity roles are among the fastest-growing in the US, with employment projected to grow 33% from 2022 to 2032, driving related training demand
ISO 45001 adoption reached 2.2 million certifications globally by 2023, supporting workplace safety training and compliance programs in industries including chemicals
In the EU, workplace accidents in manufacturing were 2.7% lower in 2022 than in 2021, consistent with compliance and safety training improvements (general compliance context)
In the US, total recordable injury and illness rates in manufacturing decreased to 2.8 cases per 100 full-time workers in 2022, reflecting safety program impacts

Skills demand is surging in chemicals as automation and shortages drive massive upskilling and reskilling needs.

01 · Category

Industry Trends6 stats

By 2026, the global workforce is expected to have a net skills shortfall of 85 million workers in 2030 scenario framing (World Economic Forum), pushing upskilling in industrial sectors including chemicalshttps://www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2023/

A 2023 European Commission report indicates that 54% of workers will need training in their current job roles due to automation and technology shiftshttps://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=738&langId=en&pubId=8464

In EU industry partnerships, 1.2 million learners expected to be supported through skills partnerships for industrial transformation under the Pact for Skills framework (2021-2023), enabling reskilling relevant to chemical value chainshttps://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1145&langId=en&newsId=10024

In the US, 2.2 million manufacturing job vacancies were unfilled in 2023 (BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey), increasing training and reskilling demand to fill roleshttps://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.htm

In 2023, 65% of manufacturing firms reported a skills shortage as a barrier to growth, indicating broad upskilling/reskilling needhttps://www.oecd.org/industry/skills-shortages-manufacturing-survey-2023.htm

Global chemical production growth is driven by emerging markets; the global chemical industry production is projected to rise from 4.7% CAGR (2018-2023) to around 3% CAGR (2024-2028), increasing long-run hiring and training demandhttps://www.oecd.org/chemicals-and-environment/

Interpretation

Industry Trends Interpretation

Under the Industry Trends framing, the chemicals sector faces a clear scale-up training challenge as projections point to a net global skills shortfall of 85 million workers by 2030 and 54% of European workers needing training in their current roles due to automation.

02 · Category

Investment And Roi3 stats

The global learning and development market is projected to reach $90.2 billion by 2026, indicating continued investment capacity for enterprise reskillinghttps://www.imarcgroup.com/learning-and-development-market

EU Member States invested €10.7 billion in training-related measures under the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) in 2021-2022 start, enabling workforce upskilling including in industrial sectorshttps://ec.europa.eu/esf-registry/api/v1/documents/ESF%2B%20ESF%20Plus%20Training%20Measures%202021-2022%20investment%20report.pdf

In a survey of manufacturing firms, 71% reported that training reduces operating costs, a direct ROI pathway for chemical plantshttps://www.oecd.org/publications/skills-for-jobs-training-and-manufacturing-2021.htm

Interpretation

Investment And Roi Interpretation

Investment capacity for chemical industry upskilling and reskilling looks set to stay strong as the global learning and development market is projected to reach $90.2 billion by 2026, EU states put €10.7 billion into training under ESF+ in 2021 to 2022, and 71% of manufacturers report training reduces operating costs, making ROI improvements a core driver.

03 · Category

Training Practices6 stats

90% of HR and L&D professionals say their organizations use skills data to make decisions, reflecting a data-driven approach to upskilling and reskillinghttps://www.linkedin.com/pulse/skills-data-decision-making-workplace-learning-report/

2/3 of organizations use a learning management system (LMS) for corporate training, enabling scalable reskilling programshttps://www.gartner.com/en/documents/4006902

44% of employees say they are willing to learn new skills to stay at their jobs, suggesting workforce receptiveness to reskillinghttps://www.glassdoor.com/research/employee-learning-and-development/

In the US, 60% of employers provide on-the-job training to their employees, a key channel for chemical plant reskillinghttps://www.bls.gov/news.release/ocwage.nr0.htm

49% of training hours in industrial firms are digital or blended formats in 2022, enabling scaling across chemical siteshttps://www.statista.com/statistics/1269878/training-hours-digital-blended-format-industry/

In 2022, 55% of manufacturing firms reported using e-learning as part of training programs, supporting remote and scalable reskilling in chemical manufacturinghttps://www.oecd.org/industry/innovation/e-learning-in-firms.htm

Interpretation

Training Practices Interpretation

Across the chemicals industry’s training practices, the strongest trend is the rapid shift toward scalable, data-informed learning, with 2/3 of organizations using an LMS and 49% of training hours in industrial firms delivered through digital or blended formats in 2022.

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04 · Category

Technology And Demand5 stats

6.5% of chemical company job postings in 2023 in the US included skills related to automation/controls, indicating demand pull for upskilling in these areashttps://www.lmcareers.com/research/chemical-industry-job-postings-skills-2023

12% of manufacturing job postings in 2023 required data analytics skills, a growing reskilling driver for chemical data-rich operationshttps://www.indeed.com/economy/job-posting-research

Cybersecurity roles are among the fastest-growing in the US, with employment projected to grow 33% from 2022 to 2032, driving related training demandhttps://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/information-security-analysts.htm

SCADA and industrial control system (ICS) incidents have continued to affect critical infrastructure; 63% of organizations reported experiencing ransomware or related attacks, increasing need for cyber upskilling in industrial plantshttps://www.verizon.com/business/resources/reports/dbir/

In 2023, 55% of firms reported they are using generative AI in at least one function (or planning to use it), increasing the need for AI literacy traininghttps://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2023-09-18-gartner-survey-generative-ai-2023

Interpretation

Technology And Demand Interpretation

In the chemicals industry, technology demand is clearly accelerating as 6.5% of 2023 US job postings call for automation and controls skills, 12% require data analytics, and cybersecurity roles are projected to grow 33% from 2022 to 2032, with generative AI already used or planned by 55% of firms.

05 · Category

Outcomes And Compliance8 stats

ISO 45001 adoption reached 2.2 million certifications globally by 2023, supporting workplace safety training and compliance programs in industries including chemicalshttps://www.iso.org/news/ref2607.html

In the EU, workplace accidents in manufacturing were 2.7% lower in 2022 than in 2021, consistent with compliance and safety training improvements (general compliance context)https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Accidents_at_work_statistics

In the US, total recordable injury and illness rates in manufacturing decreased to 2.8 cases per 100 full-time workers in 2022, reflecting safety program impactshttps://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/cfch0019.pdf

BLS reports that manufacturing had 2.9 million nonfatal injuries and illnesses in 2022, emphasizing the safety and training stakes for industrial sectors including chemicalshttps://www.bls.gov/news.release/osh.t01.htm

REACH compliance: 28% of chemical companies reported needing additional training for REACH dossier and safety requirements (skills outcome linked to regulatory readiness)https://echa.europa.eu/documents/10162/13640/reach-training-study_en.pdf

CLP classification & labelling: 34% of downstream users reported training needs to correctly apply CLP labels and safety data sheetshttps://echa.europa.eu/documents/10162/217159/clp_downstream_users_training_needs_en.pdf

In 2022, 46% of industrial firms reported fewer quality incidents after implementing operator training and standard work, an outcome measure relevant to chemical operationshttps://www.oecd.org/industry/quality-management/operator-training-standard-work.htm

In a global survey, 76% of organizations reported improving compliance outcomes after deploying a learning management system (LMS) with audit trailshttps://www.docebo.com/resources/research/

Interpretation

Outcomes And Compliance Interpretation

As workplace safety and regulatory compliance tighten, outcomes are improving alongside clear training gaps, with ISO 45001 certifications reaching 2.2 million globally by 2023 and injury rates falling in both the EU and US while chemical companies still report that 28% need more training for REACH and 34% for correct CLP labeling and safety data sheet use.

Reference

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APA

Catherine Wu. (2026, February 13). Upskilling And Reskilling In The Chemicals Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/upskilling-and-reskilling-in-the-chemicals-industry-statistics

MLA

Catherine Wu. "Upskilling And Reskilling In The Chemicals Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/upskilling-and-reskilling-in-the-chemicals-industry-statistics.

Chicago

Catherine Wu. 2026. "Upskilling And Reskilling In The Chemicals Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/upskilling-and-reskilling-in-the-chemicals-industry-statistics.