At the Indeed Hiring Lab we spend a lot of time digging into labor market data to understand how work is changing. Workers are eager to develop the skills they need to compete for the jobs of today, but also succeed in the workforce of tomorrow.  Employers, understandably, are focused on finding qualified candidates for the jobs they need to fill today. Today with Udemy, a global AI-powered skills acceleration platform, we released new research The Future-Proofing Instinct, that shows the gap between skills growth in job postings and the skills workers are eager to add to their resumes, and why it matters.

We analyzed job posting data from the Indeed Hiring Lab alongside employee upskilling trends from Udemy Business enterprise customers across four major economies—Australia, India, the UK, and the US—between September 2023 and September 2025. Together, these datasets give us a rare, side-by-side view of where employer demand is today and where workers believe opportunity is headed.

Workers are preparing for tomorrow. Employers are hiring for today.

One of the clearest signals from the data is how heavily workers are investing in AI skills. Even though only about 4% of job postings on Indeed mention AI, it accounts for roughly two-thirds of employee upskilling activity on Udemy Business. In tech roles, that gap widens further: nearly all upskilling activity (95%) is focused on AI, while less than one-fifth of the fastest-growing skills in tech job postings are AI-related.

Manufacturing shows an even sharper contrast. Across all four countries we studied, around 60% of employee learning in manufacturing is focused on AI—yet AI doesn’t appear among the sector’s fastest growing job posting skills at all. Workers are clearly betting on where they believe their jobs are headed, even when employer demand hasn’t caught up yet.

The soft skills gap hiding in plain sight

Another important disconnect shows up around soft skills. On Indeed, skills like communication, leadership, and critical thinking consistently appear among the fastest-growing employer demands across industries and countries. But those same skills are largely absent from the fastest-growing learning topics among employees on Udemy. 

This makes sense on one level. Technical skills—especially emerging ones—can feel more tangible and easier to measure. But as AI becomes embedded in everyday workflows, these human skills become even more valuable. The employees best positioned to succeed won’t just know how to use new tools; they’ll know how to collaborate, adapt, and lead in environments shaped by them.

AI adoption isn’t moving at the same pace everywhere

Our data also shows that AI adoption varies significantly by industry and geography. Professional services employers are already hiring for AI skills across all four countries studied. In manufacturing, workers are racing ahead of employer demand. And in tech, AI dominates both learning and hiring—particularly in the US and UK—though the pace still differs by market.

Australia and the US tech sector stand out for how quickly employer demand is shifting. Over the two-year period we studied, AI skills in job postings grew from 3.2% to 22.3% in Australia and from 5.8% to 21.9% in the US. These are some of the fastest changes we’re seeing anywhere in the labor market.

What this means for workers—and employers

For workers, the message is clear: building technical skills, especially in AI, is important but pairing them with strong communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills will be what truly future-proofs a career.

For employers, there’s an opportunity to meet workers where they are. Organizations that recognize the skills employees are already developing and that invest in both technical and human capabilities will be better positioned to attract talent and adapt as roles continue to evolve.

The future of work isn’t something that happens all at once. It shows up gradually, in the skills people learn and the roles companies hire for. Right now, our data suggests workers are already leaning into what’s next. The question is how quickly employers will follow.

Click here to explore the full findings of our report,The Future-Proofing Instinct.