Global Skills Report
Executive Summary
Skill trends in a post-COVID economy
The disruption of pandemic job losses and accelerated automation in 2020 and 2021 has impacted workers and students across the world. In this critical moment, leaders in government, business, and higher education have a unique opportunity to transform the current and future workforce for resilient economic growth by gaining an understanding of the skills that drive sustainable employment.
In the Global Skills Report, we tap into insights from across Coursera’s learner ecosystem to reveal new pathways to opportunity for displaced workers, recent graduates, and learners wanting to advance their careers.
Find out more in the report.
Future growth depends on skills
Highly skilled countries will drive more positive outcomes.
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Skills power economies
A country’s skill proficiency is linked to greater economic output and higher performance on the Global Innovation Index.
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Disruptive skills lead the way
The top-performing countries across a number of economic outcomes show higher overall skill proficiency and higher amounts of disruptive skills.
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Governments are taking action
In the coming years, governments will continue to invest in some of the largest reskilling programs ever undertaken.
Learning is catalyzing change
A new reskilling landscape is opening doors that can help close inequality gaps.
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More women are enrolling in STEM
The share of STEM course enrollments from women grew from 31% during 2018–2019 to 38% in 2020.
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Enrollments are higher for unemployed learners
Unemployed learners accounted for 10% of STEM course enrollments during 2018–2019 and 17% in 2020.
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The number of female learners is growing
Overall course enrollments for female learners increased from 38% during 2018–2019 to 45% in 2020.
Digital-first skills are more accessible
Online learning can help build sustainable skills in a short amount of time.
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Foundational skills are key
The most transferable skills across all jobs of the future are in job-readiness, human skills, and career management.
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A small investment has a big impact
75% of active learners spend less than three hours per week on coursework to advance their careers.
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Skill-building is gaining speed
The average learner can develop the skills needed for an entry-level job of the future in just 35 to 70 hours.
