Although globally as many as 70% of business leaders fear that competency gaps will impact their organisations’ performance (AIHR Trends Report 2025), the Polish labour market has enormous, yet untapped, upskilling potential. While overall statistics indicate that only 3.8% of employees have acquired new skills at work in the last two years (ADP Research 2025), local data shows that Polish teams are ready to learn, provided they receive the right support. How can we bridge the gap between global challenges and barriers, such as lack of time or resources, to unleash the energy hidden within employees?
Macro-scale adaptation challenges
We are currently facing the biggest competency transformation of the decade, which is redefining professional roles around the world. According to the global AIHR Trends Report 2025, soon as many as 60% of jobs will require the acquisition of completely new qualifications. The scale of this phenomenon is unprecedented, and efficiently translating global trends into real-world actions within Polish companies is becoming one of the most important tasks for leaders today.
Data from the global ADP Research 2025 (People at Work) survey indicates a significant implementation barrier: despite dynamic technological transformations, only 3.8% of global employees have acquired new skills at work in the last two years. This disconnect creates a risk, awareness of which is constantly growing among management: 70% of business leaders worldwide admit that competency gaps can impact the operational effectiveness of their teams. As a result, building organisational resilience through a modern approach to human resources development should become a priority for management boards committed to long-term market stability.
Polish perspective: development as a new basic need
Against the backdrop of global challenges, Polish employees demonstrate an exceptionally high willingness to learn. As many as 82% of people working in our country consider skill development a priority. What is crucial, local data shows an evolution in motivation. According to the Multi.Life survey, the traditional pursuit of advancement (38%) is giving way to a desire to improve the overall quality of life. For 43% of respondents, the main driving force behind learning is the desire to gain peace of mind, take care of one’s health, and regenerate energy. Education thus becomes a way to strengthen the sense of security (36%) and job satisfaction (28%).¹ This holistic shift is reflected in the activity of Multi.Life Programme users, who most often choose areas that allow for synergy between the professional sphere and wellbeing: from psychology and health prevention to conscious nutrition and physical activity.
– This is very good news for employers. Poles genuinely want to develop themselves and their interest in areas such as physical health, psychology, and energy management is evidence of their instinctive capacity building. From a medical perspective, a regenerated and emotionally stable employee has a much greater ease in acquiring new knowledge, including technical competencies. By supporting wellbeing, the company not only gains a more flexible team, but also significantly reduces the risk of burnout or sick leave, which are a significant cost. Investing in wellbeing becomes a natural accelerator of upskilling – comments Dr Andrzej Silczuk, psychiatrist, Multi.Life expert.
Barriers: time and money
Why, despite such high motivation, do local development indicators require support? The answer lies in the barriers that employers can play a key role in overcoming. As many as 90% of working Poles expect development support from the company, pointing to lack of time and limited financial resources as the main challenges.²
In this situation, creating appropriate learning conditions becomes one of the key factors contributing to effective development. Companies that can relieve employees of the logistical burden of development not only win the loyalty of their team but also have a real impact on their psychophysical condition. Supporting employees in taking care of their health and competences is a simple way to build stable teams that are less likely to take sick leave and change jobs because they have the tools to effectively manage their own wellbeing.
– The modern development model should respond to the time deficit through greater personalisation and flexibility. One-to-one consultations with experts allow for precise addressing of individual challenges when they are most pressing. It is also important to be able to use training and educational materials at a time convenient for the employee, and not within a top-down, rigid deadline. This is a significant improvement that can result in a more stable and effective educational process within the organisation. Acquiring new knowledge is then less burdensome – adds Andrzej Silczuk.
Education as the foundation of organisational resilience
The traditional model of supporting development, present in companies for years, is naturally evolving towards partnership cooperation. In such a system, the organisation becomes a facilitator that helps employees take care of the entire ecosystem of their competences – both substantive and personal. Understanding that support in overcoming time and financial barriers is crucial today allows organisations to design solutions that truly unlock the potential of their teams.
Providing access to knowledge that supports wellbeing and adaptability is a strategic step towards building long-term business resilience. An employee who feels real support in taking care of their own resources becomes a pillar of a stable company that is ready for change. Ultimately, it is the culture of development, integrated with the organisation’s goals, that sets the direction for a new competitive advantage based on loyalty and sustainable efficiency.
1 Ariadna National Research Panel, N=1090, people aged 18+, 28-30 December 2025.
2. Ibidem.
About the survey: The survey was commissioned by the Multi.Life brand and conducted on a group of 1,090 people aged over 18 between 28 and 30 December 2025. The survey was conducted on the Ariadna Nationwide Research Panel using the CAWI method.