Higher skill proficiency is linked to GDP growth, labor force participation, and income equality, according to Coursera's latest Global Skills Index. The report released today by the world’s leading online learning platform provides an in-depth look at the state of skills around the world. Looking across the 65 million learners on the platform, and drawing on rich performance data of learners in the past twelve months, the report benchmarks skills proficiency for 60 countries, 10 industries, and 11 fields of study in business, technology, and data science. The report also provides an early analysis of the pandemic’s impact on the skills landscape.

The pandemic has impacted the lives of more than 555 million workers and 200 million higher education students around the world. In India, the unemployment rate reached 27.1% in early May, as nearly 122 million Indians lost their jobs between March and April. To revive jobs and economies, institutions must enable widespread access to skills development so that people can swiftly enter and return to the workforce. This requires understanding the state of job-relevant skills for their respective populations, including for their countries, industries, and fields of study. Equipped with insights from the report, leaders across private, public, and education sectors can shape reskilling efforts for economic revival.

“Workforce recovery in a post-pandemic world relies on broad base reskilling. Institutions must lead this effort by providing people with equal access to skills needed for the jobs of the future,” said Jeff Maggioncalda, CEO of Coursera. “This year’s Global Skills Index reveals skills trends and insights that will inspire institutions to coordinate skills development for a more inclusive and advanced workforce.”

Coursera is committed to partnering with governments, businesses, and universities around the world to put this data into action. Through Coursera’s Campus Response Initiative and Workforce Recovery Initiative, there are already nearly 10,000 programs led by universities and governments to deliver free online learning. Together, the two initiatives have equipped more than 1.3 million people with job-relevant skills. In India, where 37.5 million students have been out of campus, Coursera has received more than 11,000 requests for the Campus Response Initiative, out of which more than 3,850 programs have been activated across thousands of universities and colleges.

The report maps 16 countries across the Asia Pacific (APAC) region and 60 countries globally. India ranks in the emerging or lagging categories across key skill domains including Business (#8/16 in APAC and #34/60 globally), Technology (#10/16 in APAC and #40/60 globally) and Data Science (#12/16 in APAC and #51/60 globally).