Why low-skilled workers are less likely to participate in continuing education
Low-skilled workers are less likely to participate in employer-sponsored continuing education programs than their more highly skilled colleagues. They are less convinced that acquiring additional skills has a positive effect on career success and job satisfaction. This is the finding of a survey conducted by TUM and the ifo Institute. The study also shows that companies can increase employees' willingness to pursue continuing education by providing a modest amount of information.
The research team from TUM Campus Heilbronn and the ifo Institute surveyed approximately 3,700 employees ages 25–55 in 2024. The sample is representative of the German working population in this age group in terms of gender and age.
In the 12 months before the survey, 67% of higher-skilled employees had participated in further training, compared with 45% of lower-skilled employees.
This finding confirms the current state of research, which indicates that less-skilled workers and older employees are less likely to take advantage of continuing education opportunities. However, little research has been conducted to date on the expectations underlying this behavior.
The research team therefore asked participants, in two hypothetical scenarios, how they assessed their professional situation six years from then. The questions focused on their expectations regarding income, professional success, career opportunities and job quality. In the first scenario, participants engaged in regular further training; in the second, they did not.
On average, employees expect their earnings after six years to be about 9% higher with continuing education than without it. "This means that employees have a very realistic picture," said study author Hanna Brosch from the Professorship of Economics at TUM Campus Heilbronn. "Research estimates the actual effects to be of a similar extent."
There is little difference between highly and less highly qualified individuals in their expectations regarding percentage income gains.
Salary expectations are less important
The researchers identified expectations regarding professional success, job satisfaction and career opportunities as the most significant factors in their statistical analysis. "Expectations regarding career prospects are more strongly correlated with the continuing education programs actually completed than with expectations regarding salary," Brosch said.
At this point, clear differences emerged between highly and less highly qualified employees. The latter are more skeptical that acquiring new skills will lead to greater success on the job, promotions or greater enjoyment of their work.
"Less-qualified employees expect fewer benefits from further training," said Philipp Lergetporer, holder of the TUM Professor of Economics and ifo Research Professor. "This is concerning because they are generally more vulnerable to labor market upheavals."
Cost-effective option for employers
The research team also investigated whether these perceptions could be changed through better communication. Some respondents received information about how it is possible to acquire new skills without difficulty, even in adulthood, and about the positive effects this can have. These participants subsequently showed a greater willingness to pursue continuing education than the control group—especially if they were less qualified.
"Even a modest amount of information can change attitudes toward continuing education," Lergetporer said. "This gives employers a cost-effective option to convince their employees of the value of their programs and to shape the company's future development together with them."
More information
H. Brosch et al, Worker Beliefs About Firm Training, CESifo Working Paper (2025). https://www.ifo.de/cesifo/publikationen/2025/working-paper/worker-beliefs-about-firm-training
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Citation: Why low-skilled workers are less likely to participate in continuing education (2026, July 21) retrieved 22 July 2026 from https://phys.org/news/2026-07-skilled-workers.html
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