Lack of time and money main causes of failed further education, Xing

2 March 2023

Hamburg News presents results of "Xing Learning & Skills Study 2023"

A survey on further education has found that almost half of respondents (48 per cent) would like more training, but lack the time and money, according to the Xing career network and the Appinio market research institute in Hamburg. The companies had conducted the "Xing Learning & Skills Study 2023" on the occasion of the Digital Learning Day in February, a press release said Wednesday (February 22, 2023).

Further education for personal development and higher salaries

Almost all respondents (94 per cent) agreed that further education has a positive effect on personal development as one learns new skills (53 per cent). However, women value personal development (58 per cent) while men focus on the prospect of a higher salary (40 per cent). Language courses (39 per cent), leadership and management skills (35 per cent) are the most popular although gender-specific preferences emerge. Women like to improve their language skills (41 per cent) and soft skills (35 per cent) while men focus more on leadership and management skills (38 per cent) and technical knowledge (44 per cent).

Obstacles to further education

"Education is an investment in one's own development. Clarity about one's own goals and aligning personal further education with them is important especially in a period of seemingly unlimited opportunities on the labour market," said Dr Julian Stahl, labour market expert at Xing, a subsidiary of New Work SE. However, men cite a lack of time (38 per cent) and women mention insufficient financial means (47 per cent) for further education. Around 25 per cent of respondents do not pursue further education at all. And despite the possibility of taking up to ten days of unpaid educational leave in many German states, 75 per cent had never seized this opportunity. More than half of respondents (56 per cent) said their current employer supports further education.

© Xing-Infografik „Learning & Skills Studie 2023“

Companies urged invest in employee development

"Germany cannot afford the gap between desire and reality in further education in view of the ongoing shortage of skilled labour. We urge companies to invest massively in staff development to remain competitive in the battle for talent and to keep staff in their own companies in the long term," Stahl stressed. Appinio surveyed 1,000 full-time and part-time employees, retrainees, the unemployed and job seekers aged between 18 and 65 years in Germany online for the representative survey.

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