Udemy–Indeed study finds growing skills gap as workers upskill for AI while hiring lags

Employees across major global markets are investing heavily in future-ready skills—particularly artificial intelligence—while employers remain largely focused on filling immediate roles, creating a widening skills disconnect, according to new research released by Udemy in collaboration with Indeed.

The report, titled The Future-Proofing Instinct, analyses job posting data from Indeed and employee learning trends from Udemy Business across Australia, India, the UK and the US between September 2023 and September 2025. The findings highlight a mismatch between the skills workers are developing and those employers are currently prioritising in hiring.

AI upskilling outpaces employer demand

The research shows that while AI features in just 4% of job listings, it accounts for nearly two-thirds (67.5%) of employee upskilling efforts. The gap is most pronounced in technology roles, where 95% of learning activity is focused on AI, despite only 17.5% of the fastest-growing skills in tech job postings being AI-related.

In manufacturing, the disconnect is even sharper. Around 60% of employee learning in the sector centres on AI, yet AI does not appear among the top job posting skills across any of the four countries studied. The study suggests that workers are preparing for longer-term shifts, while employers continue to prioritise immediate operational requirements.

“Professionals are developing a remarkable instinct, accelerating their skills journeys faster than ever before to prepare for what’s ahead,” said Hugo Sarrazin, President and CEO at Udemy. “The future belongs to workers who can build AI fluency while maintaining adaptive or soft skills that help teams collaborate effectively and navigate the workforce transformation. At the same time, the smartest organizations will meet employees where they are, hiring the right skills to achieve business goals and secure top talent for sustainable growth.”

Soft skills remain a critical blind spot

While employees focus on technical and emerging capabilities, employers continue to emphasise the importance of soft skills. Skills such as communication, leadership and critical thinking consistently rank among the fastest-growing requirements in job postings, but appear far less frequently in employee-led learning priorities.

The pace of AI adoption also varies by industry and geography. Professional services employers are actively hiring for AI skills across all regions studied, while the technology sector shows the strongest alignment between learning and hiring, particularly in the US and UK. Australia and the US recorded the fastest growth in AI-related job postings over the two-year period.

“Indeed Hiring Lab’s job market data, along with Udemy’s workforce skills data, gives us a unique view of how work is evolving,” said Laura Ullrich, Director of Economic Research at Indeed. “AI emerging as a top-growing skill across industries isn’t surprising, but the employees who pair technical expertise with strong soft skills will be best positioned to thrive.”

The report concludes that aligning workforce development with evolving hiring needs—especially by balancing AI capabilities with essential soft skills—will be critical for organisations seeking long-term resilience in an AI-driven economy.