NTUC LearningHub has unveiled its Sustainability for Business Resilience Report 2024, which investigates sustainability as a business imperative, the current state of sustainability efforts in organisations, and the critical role of training and certifications.
Based on survey involving over 150 business leaders and 350 full-time working professionals, the report also highlights the in-demand job roles and skills that inform and shape individuals’ career progression while strengthening the business’ resilience.
NTUC LearningHub’s latest report shows that business leaders agree sustainability training for staff is important
The report showed that while sustainability is a growing business priority, only six per cent of business leaders report that their organisation has completed at least one round of sustainability implementation. This is in comparison to 14 per cent from an earlier sustainability report by NTUC LearningHub in 2022.
Nevertheless, a positive outlook remains as 72 per cent of business leaders share that their organisation will begin its sustainability journey within the next five years or more, marking a six per cent increase from the 2022 report.
The report also revealed that while employees perceive possessing the knowledge and skills necessary to understand and implement sustainability initiatives at the workplace, more than four in five business leaders say that there is a gap in expertise and skill sets around sustainability in their organisation. These include skills like climate change sustainability, environmental management system framework or policy, risk management, sustainability risk and impact assessment, and Environmental and Social Governance.
While nearly a third of business leaders report having sent their employees for sustainability-related training in the past year, only 11 per cent employees report attending sustainability-related training and 46 per cent are unaware of the available programmes in the market.
When sending employees for training, business leaders grapple with employees being too busy with work to attend training, difficulty in identifying industry-recognised courses and relevant external training providers or centres, insufficient budget for training programmes, and resistance to change among employees.
Meanwhile, employees have listed challenges such as being too busy with work, training programmes not being fully funded by their company, having no one to cover their work while they are away for training, uncertainty about their skills gaps, and limited in-house training programmes offered by their organisation.
Although nearly four in five business leaders agree that their organisation has clearly communicated how employees can contribute towards the organisation’s sustainability goals, both groups have differing views on the top motivators for sustainability initiatives implementation.
Employees report the top three motivators to be cost savings, complying with rules and regulations, and responding to market demand. On the other hand, business leaders cite responding to market demand as the primary driver, followed by achieving cost savings, and managing risks.
Moreover, 33 per cent of employees lack the confidence in their organisation’s ability to effectively implement sustainability initiatives, citing unclear sustainability goals, insufficient budget allocated to sustainability initiatives, and lack of sustainability training programmes as primary reasons.
Tay Ee Learn, chief sector skills officer, NTUC LearningHub, shared: “The findings suggest a possible disconnect between business leaders and employees… transparent communication is key, but organisations must first develop a clear sustainability roadmap with defined goals to ensure everyone is aligned.
“This involves prioritising workforce training and development to prepare employees for new and refreshed green roles. Investing in the development of their human capital will go a long way to reassure the workforce that they are valued, allowing both organisations and workers to remain competitive in a dynamic landscape.”
The Sustainability for Business Resilience Report 2024 can be viewed here.
NTUC LearningHub has unveiled its Sustainability for Business Resilience Report 2024, which investigates sustainability as a business imperative, the current state of sustainability efforts in organisations, and the critical role of training and certifications.
Based on survey involving over 150 business leaders and 350 full-time working professionals, the report also highlights the in-demand job roles and skills that inform and shape individuals’ career progression while strengthening the business’ resilience.
The report showed that while sustainability is a growing business priority, only six per cent of business leaders report that their organisation has completed at least one round of sustainability implementation. This is in comparison to 14 per cent from an earlier sustainability report by NTUC LearningHub in 2022.
Nevertheless, a positive outlook remains as 72 per cent of business leaders share that their organisation will begin its sustainability journey within the next five years or more, marking a six per cent increase from the 2022 report.
The report also revealed that while employees perceive possessing the knowledge and skills necessary to understand and implement sustainability initiatives at the workplace, more than four in five business leaders say that there is a gap in expertise and skill sets around sustainability in their organisation. These include skills like climate change sustainability, environmental management system framework or policy, risk management, sustainability risk and impact assessment, and Environmental and Social Governance.
While nearly a third of business leaders report having sent their employees for sustainability-related training in the past year, only 11 per cent employees report attending sustainability-related training and 46 per cent are unaware of the available programmes in the market.
When sending employees for training, business leaders grapple with employees being too busy with work to attend training, difficulty in identifying industry-recognised courses and relevant external training providers or centres, insufficient budget for training programmes, and resistance to change among employees.
Meanwhile, employees have listed challenges such as being too busy with work, training programmes not being fully funded by their company, having no one to cover their work while they are away for training, uncertainty about their skills gaps, and limited in-house training programmes offered by their organisation.
Although nearly four in five business leaders agree that their organisation has clearly communicated how employees can contribute towards the organisation’s sustainability goals, both groups have differing views on the top motivators for sustainability initiatives implementation.
Employees report the top three motivators to be cost savings, complying with rules and regulations, and responding to market demand. On the other hand, business leaders cite responding to market demand as the primary driver, followed by achieving cost savings, and managing risks.
Moreover, 33 per cent of employees lack the confidence in their organisation’s ability to effectively implement sustainability initiatives, citing unclear sustainability goals, insufficient budget allocated to sustainability initiatives, and lack of sustainability training programmes as primary reasons.
Tay Ee Learn, chief sector skills officer, NTUC LearningHub, shared: “The findings suggest a possible disconnect between business leaders and employees… transparent communication is key, but organisations must first develop a clear sustainability roadmap with defined goals to ensure everyone is aligned.
“This involves prioritising workforce training and development to prepare employees for new and refreshed green roles. Investing in the development of their human capital will go a long way to reassure the workforce that they are valued, allowing both organisations and workers to remain competitive in a dynamic landscape.”
The Sustainability for Business Resilience Report 2024 can be viewed here.