The topreskilling approaches are employee-directed learning and informalhands-on learning, though to ensure they retain talented workers,employers are also developing formal reskilling programs. (Image:Shutterstock)

Most people plan on working way past 65—and so HR leaders shouldconsider stepping up their reskilling training programs to keep top talentat their own organization, according to Mercer's 2019 Global Talent Trends report.

“With 75 percent of employees intending to keep working past retirement age, and five generationsworking side-by-side, it has never been more important forbusinesses and society to think creatively about how to leverageexperience workers,” the authors write.

Executives agree: upskilling and reskilling have moved up theexecutive agenda from ninth to third position in this year's report– and insurance executives say it's now their the number onepriority.

Related: Employers will need to hire for digital skillstalent to survive

“Especially when talent is scarce, people development becomeskey to organizational competitiveness and sustainability,” theauthors write. “But to deliver what executives want, HR must shiftits mindset or risk a self-fulfilling prophesy: HR leaders say themain barrier to reskilling is the concern that reskilled talentwill leave the firm.”

Across the globe, the median investment in reskilling is $1,000per person, with the highest investments occurring in the retailsector, as well as by employers in China (both categories report amedian investment of $2,000 per person.)

The majority of workers (83 percent) believe it is primarilytheir responsibility – rather than their employer's responsibility– to keep their skills up to date. As such, the top reskillingapproaches used by HR leaders are employee-directed learning (59percent) and informal hands-on learning (50 percent), though toensure they keep talented workers in critical positions, employersare also developing formal reskilling programs (55 percent).

“Focusing on older workers has become urgent because thispopulation is acutely vulnerable to automation – older workers tendto be concentrated in jobs where at least 50 percent of the taskscan be automated,” the authors write.

While automation will necessitate many jobs to be“deconstructed” into individual tasks, employers are increasinglyrealizing that there will always be “jobs to be done.” To fullyleverage their human workforce, employers need to determine whethercertain tasks are repetitive, strategic, necessary year-round orproject-based, according to the report. Employers also need tofigure out how jobs can be more clearly defined to reflect teamroles and still give employees freedom to contribute.

“By freeing up resources, organizations can rethink how theydeploy people accordingly, especially because the jobs that remainwill likely require different levels of labor intensity andcognitive maturity,” the authors write.

Read more: 

• Employee skills gap threatens America's economicgrowth
• Prepare for a skills shift: what employers need todo to adapt their workforce
• Don't believe the whining about a 'skills gap':Michael R. Strain