Workplace Training Critical to Career Development and Staff Retention, According to Kelly Services(R)

TROY, MI -- (Marketwired) -- 04/30/13 -- Employees in the United States are increasingly taking charge of their professional training and skills development in order to manage their careers and stay competitive in an evolving jobs market, according to the latest findings from the Kelly Global Workforce Index (KGWI).

Two-thirds say that their main motivation to learn new skills or seek additional training is for the opportunity of a promotion with their current employer. In addition, nearly half (47 percent) of survey respondents in the U.S. are either actively seeking or considering some form of additional education or training to pursue a new field of work. Although some experts advise employees to consider vertical moves in addition to upward movement.

"Employees are taking control and looking at ways of renewing and upgrading skills to stay relevant in a rapidly changing employment environment," said Steve Armstrong, Senior Vice President, U.S. Operations, Kelly Services. "Decisions regarding training and professional development are now an integral part of the employment equation, and have an important bearing on employee morale, performance and retention."

Gen Y (ages 19-33) and Gen X (ages 34-48) employees are the most likely to grow their career within their current employer, with almost three-quarters motivated by a desire to advance with their current employer, higher than for Baby Boomers (62 percent).

Results of the survey in the U.S. also show:

• On-the-job experience is identified by three-quarters of respondents as a most desirable means of skills development, ahead of other alternatives, including further education and training, seminars, professional certification and mentoring.
  
  
• Training provided by employers gets a nod of approval, with approximately half of all respondents (47 percent) agreeing it is effective in upgrading skills.
  
  
• The skills which are cited as most critical to job success are the soft skills: active listening, cooperation/teamwork, organization/attention to detail, and verbal communication.
  
  
• One-third of respondents (33 percent) indicate that bilingual skills are critical and 43 percent of those respondents identified Spanish as critical.
  
  

Complete findings are published in a new report, Career Development and Upskilling. For more information about the Kelly Global Workforce Index and key regional and generational findings, please visit the Kelly® Press Room or www.kellyservices.com.

About the Kelly Global Workforce Index™

The Kelly Global Workforce Index is an annual survey revealing opinions about work and the workplace from a generational viewpoint. Approximately 122,000 people from the Americas, APAC and EMEA participated in the survey. Results will be published throughout 2013 on a variety of topics such as employee retention, social media and technology, and the changing workplace. Visit www.kellyservices.com to review findings on the current topic.

About Kelly Services®

Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: KELYA) (NASDAQ: KELYB) is a leader in providing workforce solutions. Kelly offers a comprehensive array of outsourcing and consulting services as well as world-class staffing on a temporary, temporary-to-hire, and direct-hire basis. Serving clients around the globe, Kelly provides employment to more than 550,000 employees annually. Revenue in 2012 was $5.6 billion. Visit www.kellyservices.com and connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, & Twitter. Download The Talent Project, a free iPad® app by Kelly Services.

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