Economic pressures propel workers to reskill | edX survey
65% of U.S. adults are considering upskilling or reskilling due to current economic conditions.
By: Lyss Welding, Edited by: Joey Morris
Published: August 7, 2025
Data summary
- Roughly half of workers report needing to start upskilling (53%) or reskilling (52%) in the next six months to maintain employment.
- Tech workers feel this pressure most acutely: 3 in 4 say they must begin upskilling (74%) or reskilling (76%) in the next six months to stay employed.
- 57% of workers report currently participating in additional education and training opportunities to upskill; 42% say they are actively reskilling.
- 46% expect to spend more on education and training this year compared to last, with 56% planning to spend over $1,000.
- 91% of workers say additional training improves their chances of receiving a salary increase at their current job.
- Workers identified AI and machine learning skills as the most important technical skillsets for their career advancement.
- Only 4% of workers report currently pursuing AI-related education, despite 54% saying AI skills are important.
OpenAI’s launch of GPT-5 marks a new chapter in artificial intelligence. The model’s enhanced reasoning, and faster output make it more powerful, and more disruptive, than anything that has come before it.
As AI capabilities surge and economic uncertainty lingers, U.S. workers are feeling the pressure to adapt. In a recent edX survey of 1,000 adults who are currently working or seeking work, 65% say the current state of the economy has them considering upskilling or reskilling. The survey defined "upskilling" as improving one's current professional skillset and "reskilling" as learning an entirely new skillset.
Among the 931 currently employed adults surveyed, about half say they will need to begin upskilling (53%) or reskilling (52%) within the next six months to stay employed.
Workers across industries report varying levels of pressure to upskill or reskill, with those in the technology sector feeling it most acutely.
About 3 in 4 tech workers (including those in software, IT, and telecommunications) say they'll need to start upskilling (74%) or reskilling (76%) within the next six months to stay employed.
The great reskilling has begun
Ninety-one percent of workers believe that additional training improves their chances of receiving a salary increase at their current job, with 41% stating that it greatly improves those chances. The majority of workers are doing just that: Fifty-seven percent report they are currently participating in additional education and training opportunities to upskill. In addition, 42% say they are currently training to reskill.
Roughly half of workers (46%) expect to increase their spending on professional development this year compared to last, with 56% planning to spend over $1,000 on training and education.
Fifty-seven percent of workers plan to spend four hours a week or more on additional education and training, with 29% planning to commit nine hours a week or more.
Respondents identified AI and machine learning / AI prompting, data analysis and visualization, and executive leadership as the most important technical skills for their career advancement.
Recent advancements in AI, including the release of GPT-5, underscore why skills like machine learning, prompt engineering, and AI fluency are rising in demand. As these technologies become more capable and accessible, workers who possess the skills to understand and apply them are increasingly well-positioned to adapt and lead. However, there remains a noticeable gap between urgency and action.
Fifty-four percent of workers believe AI-related skills are very or extremely important for remaining competitive in their careers. Despite this, only 4% are currently pursuing AI-related skills, with 37% of workers saying they are "very likely" and 64% saying that they are at least "somewhat likely" to pursue AI-related education or training in the next six months.
For many workers, continued education and training are nothing new. Nearly 3 in 4 (74%) — including 82% of managers and supervisors — say workers need to pursue additional education or training at least once a year to stay competitive in their field.
Additionally, the majority of workers (70%) say upskilling is important to ensure their job security and job satisfaction (69%).
However, 2025's economic uncertainty and the pace of technological change have workers doubling down on skill-building. Leaders can encourage and empower their employees to upskill in an AI-driven world.
While the landscape continues to evolve, workers remain optimistic about where opportunity lies. When asked which three fields they believe are most stable or recession-proof, respondents were most likely to identify Technology (37%), Healthcare and Life Sciences (32%), and Finance and Insurance (19%). These sectors’ strong links to innovation, data, and essential services may explain why many view them as the safest paths forward in an unpredictable economy.
Explore AI courses on edX to start building foundational skills in artificial intelligence for yourself or your organization.
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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