Most Workers Feel They Have the Training to Get the Job Done

Most workers (70%) said they currently have the education and training they need to get ahead in their job or career, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. Only 30% said they need more education and training.

The study found that regardless of whether workers said they need it, 51% said they have received training in the past 12 months, while a similar share (49%) said they have not.

Among workers who say they need more education and training, 28% said learning on the job would be the best way for them to get it. About a quarter said completing a certificate program (24%) or getting more formal education (24%) would be the best way.

Among workers who need training but didn’t get any in the last year, many point to time and resource constraints as major reasons for not doing so. More than four-in-ten (43%) said they couldn’t find the time, while 38% said they couldn’t afford it, and 28% said their employer wouldn’t cover the cost.

Regarding income levels, 41% of workers with lower incomes and 43% of those with middle incomes who said they need but did not get training said they couldn’t afford it. Only 11% of upper-income workers said the same.