Workera Study: Leaders Say Employees Are "AI-Ready," Employees Disagree

99% of L&D leaders believe their workforce will be "AI-ready" in the next two years, but only 14% of employees believe their organization is fully on track to acquire the necessary AI skills

PALO ALTO, Calif., April 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Workera, the leading AI-powered skills intelligence platform, today announced its inaugural 2025 State of Skills Intelligence Report. The study highlights several areas of disconnect between organizational leadership perceptions and employee realities in AI skills development, exposing the challenges within the current state of workforce transformation. The U.S. was found to have the least formal AI-related business objectives for 2025 and the least implemented overall AI adoption strategies.

"Organizations are racing to adopt AI, but they are failing to bring their workforce along on the journey, which not only explains the disconnect but the biggest fundamental challenge in successful AI transformation," said Kian Katanforoosh, CEO and founder of Workera. "If your AI strategy is not reaching your employees, it's already failing. This data report enables leaders of all industries to make data-driven investment decisions to close the gaps in workforce preparation and setting AI business objectives."

Organizations With AI Objectives Are Racing Ahead 
Companies with a clear and documented AI strategy are leaving the competition behind when it comes to upskilling talent.

• Daily Use: These companies are significantly more likely (61% vs 17%) to feel that their workforce is very prepared in terms of integrating AI into their daily workflows.
• Organizational Readiness: These learning and development leaders are more likely (87% vs 38%) to feel that their organization will be fully "AI-ready" in the next two years.
• Closing the Skill Gap: These companies are more likely (81% vs 28%) to feel that their employees are fully on track to acquire the necessary skills for an AI-enabled future beyond tools like ChatGPT.

The Growing AI Skills Gap
These data points illuminate the disconnect undermining organizational AI transformation efforts from a communications and implementation perspective.

• Promotion Promises vs. Reality: While 88% of organizations claim to prioritize AI skills in promotions, only 25% of employees feel these skills are actually being prioritized.
• Leadership Communication Breakdown: 57% of employees report poor leadership communication about AI strategies, with a mere 10% finding it very effective.
• Effectiveness of Training Under Scrutiny: 32% of L&D leaders believe their training programs are very effective in addressing skills gaps—a view shared by just 11% of employees.

Aspiration Outweighs Execution 
These stats evaluate the stark contrast in perspective from different levels of employees about the present and future of their companies' AI readiness.

• Leadership Optimism: 63% of L&D leaders believe their organizations will be fully AI-ready within two years.
• Employee Skepticism: In contrast, only 22% of employees believe their organization will be truly AI-ready.
• Training Gap: Despite 51% of leaders claiming a fully defined AI adoption strategy, only 25% of employees have been offered AI training in the past year.

AI Transforms How Businesses Operate
AI is reshaping how all organizations develop, hire, compete, and function at every level. The following metrics demonstrate AI integration across corporate ecosystems.

• AI is Ubiquitous: Nearly all organizations (99%) are now using AI in some capacity.
• Skills Over Degrees: 84% of companies now prioritize verified AI skills over traditional degrees in hiring decisions.
• Workforce Growth, Not Reduction: 80% of L&D leaders anticipate AI will increase, not decrease, overall employee headcount.
• Rapid AI Training: The U.S. leads in preparing new hires with AI-related skills, with 44% fully trained within their first 90 days of employment.

"The most notable takeaway from this report is that companies with a clearly defined AI strategy are well ahead of the competition when it comes to upskilling talent," added Katanforoosh. "These organizations are prioritizing skills intelligence and are in turn more proficient in their AI adoption, scoring tens of points higher in these areas. It's clear that businesses must come together internally to define their AI business objective for 2025 to make a tangible impact on their company's readiness for an AI future."

To download the full 2025 State of Skills Intelligence Report and explore the complete findings, visit: workera.ai/blog/state-of-skills-intelligence-report

To learn how Workera can help you with skills-first workforce transformation initiatives in 2025, visit: workera.ai.

Methodology

Workera surveyed 800 full-time professionals who oversee workforce development, skills strategy, or L&D programs. Each of the respondents works for a company with 5,000 or more employees. The survey was conducted in February 2025 by Sago.

To capture the employee perspective, Workera surveyed 800 full-time professionals who work for a company with 5,000 or more employees in the United States in March 2025 via Pollfish.

About Workera
Workera is pioneering the future of skills technology, reimagining how organizations align business needs with verified skills data to future-fit their workforce and accelerate productivity and innovation. Trusted by the Fortune 500, Workera leverages AI-powered agents to deliver unparalleled insights into workforce capabilities, utilizing a state-of-the-art skills ontology and cutting-edge LLMs for the most precise skill measurements available. With Workera, businesses can strategically align teams, accurately identify and bridge skill gaps, and optimize talent allocation with unprecedented efficiency. Our commitment to delivering measurable and verified skill data empowers business leaders to not only manage their workforce more effectively, but also to harness the full potential of their human capital. Workera was named in Fast Company's exclusive Most Innovative Companies list for 2024 alongside Microsoft, Canva, and others leading the AI revolution. Discover how Workera is helping future-proof workforces at Accenture, Siemens Energy, Belcorp, The United States Air Force, and Samsung at www.workera.ai.

SOURCE Workera.ai