Navigating the year ahead: 5 trends that will reshape our world of work in 2025

As 2025 dawns, the labor market is, in many ways, doing better than expected. Unemployment has been low and, crucially, inflation is falling in most of the world.

And yet, the outlook for workforces across industries is deeply uncertain. We hear every day from our employer partners that they’re facing unprecedented challenges trying to find enough workers to fill open jobs. Right now, the latest data shows that we have 8 million job openings in the U.S. but only 6.8 million unemployed workers.

Without doubt, the labor situation in 2025 will remain difficult and uncertain. Yet there are key themes and questions every HR and talent leader should keep an eye on this year. 

1. Scrutiny on L&D to drive business transformation will increase.

Today, the value of learning-and-development (L&D) programs has never been clearer — or more urgent. The changes occurring at the economic, global, environmental, and societal levels demand that companies continue to upskill their employees to maintain their competitive advantage. But it’s not just about staying competitive; it’s about building the resilience and adaptability needed to thrive in a complex and rapidly changing world. The obvious lever CHROs have to help their organizations accomplish this is L&D. This we know. Yet the challenge in 2025 will be to draw tighter and tighter connections between L&D and business priorities.  

We know that L&D programs have long had an ROI problem. They can be a considerable investment with outcomes that are difficult to track. This year — and for the rest of the decade, for that matter — we should expect CEOs, COOs, and CFOs to ratchet up the scrutiny on L&D investments. In line with a recent shift toward outcomes-based pricing seen in SaaS, L&D will increasingly be measured against more tangible results such as persistence, program completion, and role attainment. This evolution presents both a challenge and an opportunity to make a strong, data-backed business case for learning and demonstrate that L&D is a critical driver of business transformation.

By taking a data-driven, balanced approach to assessing training needs and strategically applying resources where they will have the greatest effect, organizations can unlock the full potential of their L&D programs and drive meaningful outcomes for both their people and the business.

2. Talent acquisition and L&D will become more integrated.

Before our eyes, the role of the chief talent officer is morphing into a strategic linchpin of workforce transformation. As more organizations develop skills-based talent strategies, the chief talent officer will evolve into the deputy CHRO, whose job it will be to bridge the gap between talent acquisition and L&D. And rather than continue to operate as a standalone function, L&D will fall under the CTO’s leadership. That means organizations will more holistically connect education benefits and skilling to workforce strategy. 

Going forward, we should expect talent acquisition to prioritize candidates who align with the organization's values and demonstrate learning agility. And L&D, meanwhile, will ensure they have the tools and opportunities to grow into their roles and beyond. This integration will create a dynamic feedback loop: Skills developed internally will inform hiring priorities, and new talent is brought in with the mindset to continue learning. 

3. Short-form qualifications will become more mainstream. 

For decades, organizations relied on four-year colleges to supply the talent they needed. But as technology evolves rapidly in the AI era, companies are facing significant skill shortages and must rethink their workforce development strategies. Enter micro-credentials — short-form credentials that allow workers to quickly acquire targeted skills while progressing toward broader educational milestones, such as bachelor’s degrees. Unlike standalone certificates, “stackable” micro-credential programs are designed to address immediate skill gaps while supporting long-term career growth, making them particularly valuable in industries with acute shortages like manufacturing, healthcare, teaching, and technology.

The importance of stackable credentials is further highlighted by research from Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce, which projects that 43% of U.S. jobs will require at least a bachelor’s degree by 2031. This underscores a key reality: the value of a college degree is actually growing — not diminishing. And as workplaces continue to evolve, building on that foundational degree with stackable credentials will be essential for career success.

4. Re-enrollment rates for learners will continue to rise.

Re-enrollment rates for learners are on the rise — and will continue to climb in 2025. One reason is that more companies are embracing education as a fulcrum of workforce strategy. Another is that workers increasingly recognize the value of investing in themselves and their education, seeking to gain and apply new skills that advance their careers and drive impact on the job. We know from our data that employees today want more than just jobs — they want access to continuous-learning pathways that align with their career aspirations and the evolving demands of their industries. More than 80% of Guild Learning Marketplace learners are enrolled in a pathway-aligned program.

By linking learning programs to clear outcomes — like promotions, skill certifications, or transitions into higher-paying roles — organizations can create ecosystems where education and skilling drive both individual opportunity and business growth. 

This trend reflects a broader understanding: investing in talent through lifelong learning isn’t just about retention; it’s about building organizational agility. 

5. L&D leaders will move up the learning curve on AI.

AI will continue to play a major role in workforce transformation, but in 2025 we will see more HR and talent leaders recognizing the power of AI beyond just chatbots and prompt engineering. The power of AI is not ChatGPT; the power of AI is in our ability to take data that's around us, put it in a model, and make our own agents so we can do our jobs more effectively, and we can spend time on more fulfilling work. People who aren’t doing this today are going to be left behind. Everyone will need an agent, they’ll need to know how to train that agent themselves. And in 2025, we will see more leaders embrace this as a mission-critical imperative.

For L&D leaders, this represents a transformative opportunity: to leverage AI not as a standalone tool but as a dynamic agent that empowers employees to learn and perform more effectively. Indeed, the future of L&D isn’t just about teaching skills; it’s about teaching people how to work alongside technology to achieve more than ever before.

Get used to permanent uncertainty.

While the economic outlook in the U.S. is better than it was a year ago, much of the uncertainty that businesses have gotten used to over the past three years is not going away. Not for the workforce or for HR leaders, either. The challenges are real and numerous, but there are myriad strategies and tactics executives can employ to position their employees and themselves for success in 2025 and beyond.

About Bijal Shah

As the CEO of Guild, Bijal believes deeply in the power of continuous learning and is dedicated to ensuring that educational opportunities are accessible to all. Her approach combines a commitment to growth with a deep respect for the collaborative efforts of the teams and individuals who drive Guild’s success.