Upskilling And Reskilling In The Staffing Industry Statistics

Modern staffing is being reshaped by a clear skills gap, and the urgency is showing up in the data. U.S. training activity is already widespread with 38% of employers providing training to employees in 2022, while 59% of hiring managers say it takes more than 3 months to fill roles when skills do not match. At the same time, the measurable impact pressure is rising, with 53% of learning and development leaders needing proof of ROI, making upskilling and reskilling decisions far more complex than they used to be.

Key Takeaways

EU adult learning participation was 11.6% in 2022 for learning in the last 4 weeks (short-term learning engagement indicator)
The U.S. staffing industry revenue totaled $165.3 billion in 2023 (total staffing market context for where upskilling/reskilling is applied)
U.S. staffing firms employed an average of 12.5 million temporary workers in 2023 (labor volume that drives workforce skill transitions)
6.8 million additional jobs in the EU are expected to require training upskilling by 2030 (skills transition magnitude)
38% of U.S. employers provided training to their employees in 2022 (a measurable indicator of upskilling activity)
53% of learning and development leaders say they face pressure to show the measurable impact of learning programs (driving ROI measurement for reskilling)
38% of organizations use learning analytics to measure training effectiveness (quantifying adoption of performance measurement)
36% of organizations report improved employee retention after implementing learning programs (retention outcome metric for upskilling)
59% of hiring managers say it takes more than 3 months to fill roles due to skills mismatch (costs tied to vacancy duration)
Training and development spending in the U.S. totaled $86.2 billion in 2022 (cost baseline for workforce learning)
In 2021, the average time-to-fill for U.S. roles was 36 days (vacancy duration cost linked to upskilling/reskilling and internal mobility)
44% of organizations plan to increase training and reskilling spending in 2024
70% of workers expect employers to offer training to help them adapt to new technologies
The share of workers in the U.S. who report being “currently employed in jobs that require digital skills” was 51% in 2022 (ESS/Eurostat-derived comparability used in OECD reporting)
1 in 4 U.S. workers (25%) have gone back to school or taken training to improve their skills since the start of the pandemic (2020–2022 period)

Upskilling and reskilling are accelerating in staffing as growing skills gaps push measurable training ROI and analytics.

01 · Category

Market Size6 stats

EU adult learning participation was 11.6% in 2022 for learning in the last 4 weeks (short-term learning engagement indicator)

The U.S. staffing industry revenue totaled $165.3 billion in 2023 (total staffing market context for where upskilling/reskilling is applied)

U.S. staffing firms employed an average of 12.5 million temporary workers in 2023 (labor volume that drives workforce skill transitions)

The global corporate training market was $366.9 billion in 2023 (spend category relevant to upskilling/reskilling)

The global e-learning market size was $399.3 billion in 2023 (training modality spend context)

In 2022, U.S. states served 6.2 million individuals through workforce development programs under WIOA (training pipeline volume relevant to reskilling)

Interpretation

Market Size Interpretation

The market backdrop for upskilling and reskilling is expanding fast, with global corporate training reaching $366.9 billion and the global e-learning market at $399.3 billion in 2023, while the US staffing industry alone generated $165.3 billion the same year and supported large-scale workforce transitions through 12.5 million temporary workers.

02 · Category

Workforce Skills1 stats

6.8 million additional jobs in the EU are expected to require training upskilling by 2030 (skills transition magnitude)

Interpretation

Workforce Skills Interpretation

By 2030, an expected 6.8 million additional jobs in the EU will require training-driven upskilling, underscoring a rapid shift in workforce skills demands that staffing organizations will need to address.

03 · Category

Training Demand1 stats

38% of U.S. employers provided training to their employees in 2022 (a measurable indicator of upskilling activity)

Interpretation

Training Demand Interpretation

In the staffing industry, training demand is evident as 38% of U.S. employers provided employee training in 2022, showing that upskilling and reskilling efforts are actively being pursued rather than remaining theoretical.

04 · Category

Performance Metrics5 stats

53% of learning and development leaders say they face pressure to show the measurable impact of learning programs (driving ROI measurement for reskilling)

38% of organizations use learning analytics to measure training effectiveness (quantifying adoption of performance measurement)

36% of organizations report improved employee retention after implementing learning programs (retention outcome metric for upskilling)

53% of organizations use learning analytics (e.g., tracking engagement/completion to improve training outcomes)

A meta-analysis finds training interventions improve job performance by an average standardized mean difference equivalent to about 0.48

Interpretation

Performance Metrics Interpretation

Performance metrics are becoming a clear priority in the staffing industry as 53% of learning leaders face pressure to prove measurable ROI and 38% already use learning analytics to gauge training effectiveness.

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05 · Category

Cost Analysis5 stats

59% of hiring managers say it takes more than 3 months to fill roles due to skills mismatch (costs tied to vacancy duration)

Training and development spending in the U.S. totaled $86.2 billion in 2022 (cost baseline for workforce learning)

In 2021, the average time-to-fill for U.S. roles was 36 days (vacancy duration cost linked to upskilling/reskilling and internal mobility)

In the U.S., the average total cost of benefits per employee was $13,239in 2023 (a component of staffing cost structures affected by workforce composition and training needs)

The OECD estimates average annual investment in adult learning is 0.8% of GDP across member countries

Interpretation

Cost Analysis Interpretation

Cost-wise, the staffing industry is getting hit by skills mismatch and vacancy duration, with 59% of hiring managers saying it takes more than 3 months to fill roles, alongside an average U.S. time-to-fill of 36 days, all while training spending reaches $86.2 billion in 2022 and OECD countries invest 0.8% of GDP in adult learning.

06 · Category

Industry Trends3 stats

44% of organizations plan to increase training and reskilling spending in 2024

70% of workers expect employers to offer training to help them adapt to new technologies

The share of workers in the U.S. who report being “currently employed in jobs that require digital skills” was 51% in 2022 (ESS/Eurostat-derived comparability used in OECD reporting)

Interpretation

Industry Trends Interpretation

Industry trends in staffing point to a clear push toward talent development, with 44% of organizations planning higher training and reskilling spending in 2024 and 70% of workers expecting employer support to adapt to new technologies.

07 · Category

User Adoption2 stats

1 in 4 U.S. workers (25%) have gone back to school or taken training to improve their skills since the start of the pandemic (2020–2022 period)

Udemy Business reported more than 15,000 enterprise customers by 2023

Interpretation

User Adoption Interpretation

In the user adoption category, 25% of U.S. workers returned to school or took training during 2020 to 2022, and with Udemy Business surpassing 15,000 enterprise customers by 2023, the demand for upskilling and reskilling is clearly scaling in both individuals and organizations.

08 · Category

Workforce Pipeline2 stats

Training provided by temporary staffing agencies is a significant share of staffing-related training: 42% of temp agencies report offering training to temp workers

A large-scale study estimates that 50–70% of workplace learning is informal (on-the-job and experiential), supporting the role of reskilling pathways beyond formal training

Interpretation

Workforce Pipeline Interpretation

For the workforce pipeline, the fact that 42% of temporary staffing agencies already provide training to temp workers shows these agencies are actively feeding upskilling and reskilling, and the broader evidence that 50–70% of learning is informal reinforces that much of this pipeline growth will come from on the job experience as well.

Reference

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APA

Gabrielle Fontaine. (2026, February 13). Upskilling And Reskilling In The Staffing Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/upskilling-and-reskilling-in-the-staffing-industry-statistics

MLA

Gabrielle Fontaine. "Upskilling And Reskilling In The Staffing Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/upskilling-and-reskilling-in-the-staffing-industry-statistics.

Chicago

Gabrielle Fontaine. 2026. "Upskilling And Reskilling In The Staffing Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/upskilling-and-reskilling-in-the-staffing-industry-statistics.