LONDON, 31^st May 2022 - SumTotal Systems, a Skillsoft (NYSE: SKIL) company and global leader in talent acquisition, onboarding, learning management, and talent management solutions, has today released the findings of new research, revealing that 65 percent of learning and development (L&D) professionals are concerned about their organisation’s ability to meet skills demand over the next 24 months, given the current UK economic outlook.

The study, carried out at Learning Technologies 2022, found that 60 percent of respondents are expecting new recruitment challenges to emerge in the UK due to global political unrest. For more than half (55 percent) of respondents, economic uncertainty has forced their organisations to adapt recruitment processes. And although 64 percent of respondents believe the pandemic made the digital skills gap in the UK slightly or significantly better, just 12 percent of organisations are very prepared and 26 percent somewhat prepared if skills shortages worsen post-pandemic. As a result, more than one-quarter of organisations describe their outlook for talent management in a post-pandemic business landscape as one of "continued uncertainty.”

The survey closely examined the impact of the pandemic on L&D priorities and recruitment strategies. Additional key findings include:

• 55 percent said their organisations have experienced greater difficulty with recruitment since the pandemic.
• 56 percent delayed hiring decisions due to the pandemic; 17 percent delayed most hiring decisions and just 36 percent stated hiring decisions were unaffected.
• Of those that delayed hiring decisions, 27 percent have already made them and 37 percent are making them now, while 36 percent either expect to make them in the next 3-12 month, or don’t know.
• 63 percent now place more focus on workforce planning and development compared to pre-pandemic.

“The opinions and experiences of L&D professionals are an important reflection of a range of crucial business trends, and their concerns underline the continuing impact of skills shortages on UK plc,” commented Ian Rawlings, RVP EMEA at SumTotal. “And while it’s clear the pandemic had a significant impact on both L&D and recruitment, organisations are now also focused on meeting a range of new challenges. The ability of L&D teams to adapt will play a key role in determining which employers attract, develop, and retain the talent they need to succeed.”

For further information, visit: Views on the Post-Covid Talent Landscape

*SumTotal’s survey was conducted in person at Learning Technologies on 4 May 2022, yielding 150 responses from UK Learning and Development professionals. All participants were attendees of the event, and responses were tabulated using Google Forms.

About SumTotal
SumTotal provides a unified, comprehensive Learning and Talent Development suite that delivers measurable impact across the entire employee lifecycle. With SumTotal, organizations can build a culture of learning that is critical to growth, success, and business sustainability. SumTotal’s award-winning technology provides talent acquisition, onboarding, learning management, and talent management solutions across some of the most innovative, complex, and highly regulated industries, including technology, airlines, financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, and pharmaceuticals.

SumTotal partners with many leading global organizations, including a number of Fortune 500 companies. SumTotal’s Talent Development suite supports learning and talent management initiatives for their customers and offers measurable impact across the entire employee lifecycle. Learn more at www.sumtotalsystems.com.

About Skillsoft®
Skillsoft (NYSE: SKIL) is a global leader in corporate digital learning, focused on transforming today’s workforce for tomorrow’s economy. The company provides enterprise learning solutions designed to prepare organizations for the future of work, overcome critical skill gaps, drive demonstrable behavior change, and unlock the potential in their people. Skillsoft offers a comprehensive suite of premium, original, and authorized partner content, including one of the broadest and deepest libraries of leadership & business skills, technology & developer, and compliance curricula. With access to a broad spectrum of learning options (including video, audio, books, bootcamps, live events, and practice labs), organizations can meaningfully increase learner engagement and retention. Skillsoft’s offerings are delivered through Percipio®, its award-winning, AI-driven, immersive learning platform purpose built to make learning easier, more accessible, and more effective. Learn more at www.skillsoft.com.