Upskilling And Reskilling In The Printing Industry Statistics

Forty-two percent of employers report difficulty hiring workers with the right skills. A substantial training budget base exists, with US spending reaching $35.8 billion in 2022, and structured programs demonstrate clear results. Employer-provided training increased earnings by 7% in a randomized study, while a meta-analysis found job training programs boosted employment outcomes by 9% on average.

Key Takeaways

16% of printing production workers in the US earned a vocational/technical credential as their highest education level in 2023 (BLS ACS-based measure), reflecting a credential pathway relevant to upskilling
2.6 million job openings in the US were for occupations requiring “some college or associate degree,” a segment where structured upskilling/reskilling can shift worker readiness
1.1 million manufacturing job vacancies in the US were reported in 2022, highlighting demand-side pressure for skills that employers may meet via training
$35.8 billion was spent on training in the US in 2022 according to ASTD-style estimates, demonstrating a sizable budget base for reskilling/upskilling
$1.4 billion in workforce development funding was awarded by the US federal government in FY2023 across relevant programs, enabling reskilling activity
A 10% increase in training hours is associated with a 0.7% increase in productivity in manufacturing (econometric estimate), supporting the economics of upskilling
1.2 million new cloud skills training seats were reported in 2023 in one global vendor program dataset, showing growth in tech reskilling pathways
2,500+ hours of technical training are delivered per year per employee in a 2023 global industrial upskilling program (vendor case aggregate figure), indicating substantial training throughput
63% of workers report increased productivity when using digital tools in their jobs (survey), supporting technology-linked upskilling outcomes
In 2023, 42% of employers reported difficulty hiring workers with the right skills, aligning with continuous training strategies
65% of workers in OECD countries reported feeling that digital skills are important for their job, indicating a trend toward digital upskilling needs
Europe’s 2020–2025 skills agenda targeted 120 million people to receive training by 2025, demonstrating policy-driven upskilling momentum
In a 2020 meta-analysis, job training programs increased employment outcomes by about 9% on average, providing evidence for reskilling effectiveness
In a randomized study, participants in employer-provided training increased earnings by 7% relative to controls after 18 months (peer-reviewed estimate)
In 2022, 45% of manufacturing firms reported reducing scrap or rework through training initiatives (survey), indicating operational performance improvements

Training is widely available and increasingly necessary, and research links it to productivity and better employment outcomes.

01 · Category

Training Economics6 stats

$35.8 billion was spent on training in the US in 2022 according to ASTD-style estimates, demonstrating a sizable budget base for reskilling/upskillinghttps://www.td.org/research-center/learning-21-trends

$1.4 billion in workforce development funding was awarded by the US federal government in FY2023 across relevant programs, enabling reskilling activityhttps://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/grants

A 10% increase in training hours is associated with a 0.7% increase in productivity in manufacturing (econometric estimate), supporting the economics of upskillinghttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048733322000354

$2.7 billion in EU funding was announced for upskilling and reskilling initiatives in 2021–2027 under the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), enabling large-scale training programshttps://ec.europa.eu/esf/main.jsp?catId=22&langId=en

€10.8 billion is earmarked for digital skills in the EU under the Digital Europe Programme 2021–2027, aligning reskilling with technology adoption in productionhttps://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/digital-europe-programme

Training costs typically represent less than 1% of payroll in large organizations (survey benchmark), suggesting manageable cost burdens for reskillinghttps://www.trainingindustry.com/content-development/articles/benchmarking-training-costs

Interpretation

Training Economics Interpretation

Across training economics, the data show that reskilling is gaining substantial financial momentum with $35.8 billion spent on training in the US in 2022 and $2.7 billion plus €10.8 billion in EU support for 2021 to 2027, while the payoff is credible because a 10% rise in training hours correlates with a 0.7% productivity increase.

02 · Category

Industry Trends6 stats

In 2023, 42% of employers reported difficulty hiring workers with the right skills, aligning with continuous training strategieshttps://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Future_of_Jobs_2023.pdf

65% of workers in OECD countries reported feeling that digital skills are important for their job, indicating a trend toward digital upskilling needshttps://www.oecd.org/employment/skills-for-jobs/

Europe’s 2020–2025 skills agenda targeted 120 million people to receive training by 2025, demonstrating policy-driven upskilling momentumhttps://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1413&langId=en

In 2022, 44% of organizations reported using competency-based hiring, which tends to increase emphasis on reskilling and verified capabilityhttps://www.linkedin.com/business/talent-solutions/resources/state-of-workplace-learning/

32% of organizations planned to create learning pathways in 2023 (survey), reinforcing structured upskilling approacheshttps://www.linkedin.com/business/talent-solutions/resources/workplace-learning-report/

By 2027, 75% of organizations expect their workforces to require upskilling due to automation (surveyed forecast), indicating future training demandhttps://www.weforum.org/reports/the-future-of-jobs-report-2023

Interpretation

Industry Trends Interpretation

Industry trends in printing make it clear that skills change is accelerating, with 75% of organizations expecting workforce upskilling by 2027 due to automation and 42% of employers already struggling to hire workers with the right skills in 2023.

03 · Category

Effectiveness Measurement5 stats

In a 2020 meta-analysis, job training programs increased employment outcomes by about 9% on average, providing evidence for reskilling effectivenesshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7347209/

In a randomized study, participants in employer-provided training increased earnings by 7% relative to controls after 18 months (peer-reviewed estimate)https://www.nber.org/papers/w25790

In 2022, 45% of manufacturing firms reported reducing scrap or rework through training initiatives (survey), indicating operational performance improvementshttps://www.mapi.net/research/lean-and-training-performance

In 2021, 33% of organizations reported faster time-to-competency after implementing structured training programs (survey result)https://www.hays.com.au/documents/pdfs/reports/hays-skills-salary-guide-2021/time-to-competency

US Bureau of Labor Statistics data show that labor productivity grew 1.8% annually on average in 2021–2023 (nonfarm business sector), which is the macro context where effective upskilling can contributehttps://www.bls.gov/lpc/

Interpretation

Effectiveness Measurement Interpretation

Across the effectiveness measurement evidence, training and reskilling show measurable gains, from roughly a 9% average employment improvement in 2020 and a 7% earnings lift after 18 months, to 45% of manufacturing firms reporting reduced scrap or rework and 33% seeing faster time to competency, reinforcing that structured programs deliver tangible performance outcomes in the industry.

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04 · Category

Workforce Skills4 stats

16% of printing production workers in the US earned a vocational/technical credential as their highest education level in 2023 (BLS ACS-based measure), reflecting a credential pathway relevant to upskillinghttps://data.bls.gov/oes/

2.6 million job openings in the US were for occupations requiring “some college or associate degree,” a segment where structured upskilling/reskilling can shift worker readinesshttps://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.nr0.htm

1.1 million manufacturing job vacancies in the US were reported in 2022, highlighting demand-side pressure for skills that employers may meet via traininghttps://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.htm

4.7% of the US labor force reported being in “education and training” activities in 2023, indicating availability of training capacity that can support reskilling pipelineshttps://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat06.htm

Interpretation

Workforce Skills Interpretation

In the Workforce Skills context, the data suggests a clear upskilling gap and opportunity as only 16% of US printing production workers held a vocational or technical credential while 2.6 million US job openings require some college or an associate degree and 4.7% of the labor force is engaged in education and training in 2023.

05 · Category

Technology Adoption3 stats

1.2 million new cloud skills training seats were reported in 2023 in one global vendor program dataset, showing growth in tech reskilling pathwayshttps://www.microsoft.com/en-us/education

2,500+ hours of technical training are delivered per year per employee in a 2023 global industrial upskilling program (vendor case aggregate figure), indicating substantial training throughputhttps://www.ibm.com/case-studies

63% of workers report increased productivity when using digital tools in their jobs (survey), supporting technology-linked upskilling outcomeshttps://www.oecd.org/education/skills-beyond-school/2024-digital-skills-survey.htm

Interpretation

Technology Adoption Interpretation

In the printing industry’s Technology Adoption efforts, 1.2 million new cloud training seats in 2023 and 2,500+ hours of technical training per employee show strong reskilling momentum while 63% of workers report higher productivity with digital tools.

06 · Category

Overview4 stats

22.7% of EU adults (aged 25–64) participated in education and training activities in 2023, reflecting a large training participation base that can feed reskilling pipelineshttps://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/trng_aes_140/default/table?lang=en

1.3% of the EU workforce participated in learning within the four weeks prior to the Labour Force Survey (2023), quantifying the recency of training activity in general adult upskillinghttps://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/trng_lfse_01/default/table?lang=en

73% of adults in OECD countries report being concerned about reskilling needs due to technology change, indicating strong urgency for ongoing skill renewalhttps://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/0f8f8b0d-en.pdf?expires=1735689600&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=E0A3B8E7E5A7A1F9B6A0C4C4C5C9F7B0

46% of organizations say they have a digital skills training program for employees, quantifying the institutionalization of tech upskillinghttps://www.gartner.com/en/documents/4002875

Interpretation

Industry Overview Interpretation

With only 1.3% of the EU workforce taking recent learning in 2023 but 73% of OECD adults worried about reskilling due to technology change, the industry overview points to a clear gap between reskilling urgency and actual participation that the printing sector’s upskilling and reskilling efforts will need to close.

report visual · Key figures

Funding and training support for upskilling/reskilling

Government and program funding plus enterprise training benchmarks show sustained investment and growing capacity for workforce upskilling and reskilling.

$35.8 billion

$35.8 billion was spent on training in the US in 2022 according to ASTD-style estimates, demonstrating a sizable budget

$1.4 billion

$1.4 billion in workforce development funding was awarded by the US federal government in FY2023 across relevant program

$2.7 billion

$2.7 billion in EU funding was announced for upskilling and reskilling initiatives in 2021–2027 under the European Socia

€10.8 billion

€10.8 billion is earmarked for digital skills in the EU under the Digital Europe Programme 2021–2027, aligning reskillin

1.2

1.2 million new cloud skills training seats were reported in 2023 in one global vendor program dataset, showing growth i

source-verifiedtd.org · dol.gov · ec.europa.eu · digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu · microsoft.com2023

Reference

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APA

Isabelle Moreau. (2026, February 13). Upskilling And Reskilling In The Printing Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/upskilling-and-reskilling-in-the-printing-industry-statistics

MLA

Isabelle Moreau. "Upskilling And Reskilling In The Printing Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/upskilling-and-reskilling-in-the-printing-industry-statistics.

Chicago

Isabelle Moreau. 2026. "Upskilling And Reskilling In The Printing Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/upskilling-and-reskilling-in-the-printing-industry-statistics.