Millennials lead the charge on career upskilling | Survey
Sixty-five percent of millennials say they are actively building new skills in today's job market, and 77% believe this is important for their job security — more than any other generation.
By: Jessica Bryant, Edited by: Lyss Welding
Published: August 19, 2025
Data summary
- 45% of millennials plan to invest over $5,000 in professional development this year.
- 62% of millennials say they will need to begin upskilling within the next six months to maintain employment.
- 54% of millennials believe that advancements in AI pose a threat to their jobs compared to only 39% of Gen Z.
- 65% of millennials plan to spend more than four hours a week on additional education and training this year.
The great reskilling is here, and millennials are leading the charge. As the job market becomes increasingly unpredictable, adults aged 30-44 are investing time and money into revamping their skill sets.
In an edX survey of 1,002 working adults and job seekers, 45% of millennials say they plan to spend over $5,000 on professional development this year. By comparison, 40% of Gen Z, 28% of Gen X, and just 5% of Baby Boomers say the same.
Most millennials (55%) also intend to spend more money on additional education and training this year than they did last year.
They are the most likely generation to report participating in additional education and training to upskill (65%), which means they are enhancing their existing job-related skills. Additionally, 50% are reskilling, or learning entirely new skills for a different role or field. In contrast, only 42% of Gen Z, 37% of Gen X, and 20% of Baby Boomers are currently reskilling.
Based on 462 millennial workers who responded to the survey.
But it's not just financial investments that millennial workers are currently making to enhance their skill sets.
The majority of millennials (65%) also say they plan to spend more than four hours a week on additional education and training to upskill or reskill. Further, nearly 1 in 3 (31%) plan to spend more than nine hours a week on additional education and training.
Why millennials are rushing to reskill
There are a number of factors leading to millennial workers' rush to reskill and upskill.
For one, most millennials believe they will need to begin upskilling (62%) or reskilling (60%) within the next six months to maintain employment.
Further, 47% of millennials believe completing additional education and training greatly improves their chances of receiving a salary increase at their current job.
Lastly, about 3 in 4 millennials say upskilling is important to ensuring both their job security (77%) and job satisfaction (75%).
Based on 462 millennial workers who responded to the survey.
Millennials are far likelier than their peers across all generations to hold these beliefs. While Gen Z workers are close behind on some of these trends, they are still much less likely to believe that completing additional education or training would greatly improve their salary (37%).
Millennials are also most likely to cite AI anxiety as a reason to begin upskilling or reskilling, as they see AI advancements as a potential threat to their jobs (54%) and a factor that will impact their immediate career goals (60%).
Unsurprisingly, Baby Boomers, who are closest to traditional retirement age, are least likely to consider reskilling or upskilling as a whole. Among Baby Boomers who are currently employed, about 1 in 5 (21%) say they are not willing to dedicate any time toward additional education and training this year.
Methodology
This survey was conducted from May 6-13, 2025, and was fielded by Pure Spectrum. Survey participants included 1,002 adult respondents nationwide who were currently employed (93%) or seeking work (7%). Ninety percent of respondents were ages 18-60. The respondents for the survey were screened by various quality checks, including systems like Relevant ID, and responses were manually reviewed to ensure consistency and accuracy.
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