The Skills Your Team May Be Missing: 3 Examples of Skills Gaps in the Workplace

Understanding today’s most consequential skills gaps is business critical. Here are three examples of skills gaps in the workplace and how to identify and close them.

Whether you’re navigating digital disruption, workforce turnover, or evolving customer needs, understanding and closing today’s most common and consequential skills gaps is no longer optional – it’s business critical. According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, 63% of employers believe skills gaps will be a major barrier to business transformation between now and 2030. The good news? With the right insight and systems, you can address them head-on. Here are three examples of skills gaps in the workplace – and how to identify and close them.

Today’s Top Skills Gaps at Work

The list of which skills are most in demand is constantly changing. The latest Future of Jobs report highlights that, by 2030, the fastest-growing skills will center around technology – particularly artificial intelligence (AI), big data, cybersecurity, and overall technological literacy. But in the near term, this year, the highest priority skills include analytical thinking, followed by resilience, flexibility, and agility.

Business and technology futurist Bernard Marr has published his own list of the top five most in-demand skills for 2025:

AI fluency: The new digital literacy
Digital transformation leadership
Perpetual learning agility
Strategic foresight and complex problem-solving
Emotional intelligence: The human edge

There are other lists out there, but most agree with the need for companies to foster a mix of critical technical, professional, and soft skills gaps. Among the most impactful examples of skills gaps in the workplace are three areas that consistently rise to the top:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Fluency
Problem-Solving
Leadership

Let’s take a closer look at what these gaps look like – and how you can identify and address them.

A Closer Look at the Three Top Skills Gaps

Every HR and business leader should get to know and understand why AI fluency, problem-solving, and leadership skills are so important right now.

1. Artificial Intelligence Fluency

AI is reshaping the workplace, but many companies are still catching up when it comes to building the necessary AI-related skills across their workforce. The need for proficient AI fluency isn’t limited to technical experts who develop AI tools or manage data models. Microsoft’s 2024 Work Trend Index Annual Report found that 75% of knowledge workers are using AI at work but few businesses have clear policies or training for employees to use AI tools effectively.

Today, AI fluency – a broad understanding of what AI can and can’t do – is becoming an essential skill for employees at all levels. That means everyone should understand how to use generative AI (like ChatGPT or Copilot) effectively, write useful prompts, and discern when to rely on human judgment instead of machine output. For technical roles, the bar is even higher, requiring up-to-date skills in data science, machine learning frameworks, and ethical AI development.

2. Problem-Solving

Problem-solving has long been valued in the workplace, but it’s taking on new importance as companies tackle increasingly complex and cross-functional challenges. It’s no longer enough for individuals to think critically in a silo. The most effective problem-solvers today work collaboratively, pulling together cross-disciplinary teams to explore issues, generate ideas, and implement novel solutions.

Effective problem-solving blends analytical thinking, creativity, and communication skills. When this gap exists, organizations may struggle with innovation, decision-making, or even day-to-day operations.

3. Leadership

Leadership is a skill, not a job title. And, like any skill, it can be underdeveloped. Today’s leaders must do more than just manage projects or people. They need to communicate effectively, support teams through change, and guide digital transformation initiatives. Yet many organizations fail to invest early enough in leadership development or fail to offer tailored opportunities for different experience levels.

Leadership skills gaps can affect employee engagement, team performance, and the success of broader organizational strategies

How to Identify Skills Gaps at Work

Informal surveys and manager feedback can surface some skills gaps, but they rarely provide a complete picture. To truly understand where your organization stands – and where it needs to go – you need a scalable, data-driven approach.

That’s where employee skills assessment software, like Avilar’s WebMentor Skills™, comes in. A robust skills management system allows you to:

Assess current skills across individuals and teams
Identify specific gaps in key roles or departments
Track historical data to measure improvement over time
Align talent strategies with evolving business goals

By centralizing skills data and combining assessments with employee performance metrics, you can build a dynamic, up-to-date view of your workforce’s capabilities, your managers’ effectiveness, and which learning and development opportunities provide the best outcomes. With skills assessment data, you can identify skills gaps and respond more effectively.

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When to Check for Skills Gaps

Skills gaps can emerge at any time, but there are key moments when proactive assessment is especially valuable. Consider evaluating skills across the full employee lifecycle to maintain a current skills inventory, giving special attention to transitional moments, such as:

Recruiting and hiring – to align candidate skills with role needs
Onboarding – to tailor development plans from the start
Performance reviews – to inform growth conversations
Promotions or role changes – to ensure readiness and support success

At the organizational level, skills assessments are critical:

After a hiring surge, merger, or acquisition – to understand the new workforce capabilities and gaps
Before or after layoffs or restructuring – ideally, to inform smart decisions before changes occur
When entering new markets or launching new services – to align your competency model with new business requirements
Following leadership changes – to ensure critical skill development continues at every level in the organization

With the right tools, skills assessments become a strategic advantage – not just an HR checklist.

How to Close Workforce Skills Gaps

Once you’ve identified where the gaps are that are having the greatest impact on success, the next step is targeted development. The most effective strategies are tailored to the individual’s current skill level. For example:

Beginner-level employees may benefit from foundational training and mentorship.
Employees intermediate-level proficiency may need stretch assignments or collaborative practice.
Highly skilled employees might need access to certifications, industry forums, or emerging tools to stay current or give back.

Here’s how that plays out for our three top examples of skills gaps in the workplace:

AI Fluency

Offer technical certification programs for AI specialists.
Create upskilling reskilling pathways for employees interested in shifting to AI-related roles.
Launch broad awareness and training sessions to improve AI fluency across the workforce.
Encourage exploration through AI use contests or recognition incentives.
Share and document AI use case examples internally to build confidence and consistency.

Problem-Solving

Facilitate problem-solving workshops using real business challenges.
Introduce challenge-based learning or puzzles to develop creative thinking.
Support collaborative experiences that bring different teams or departments together to solve problems.
Offer cohort-based learning opportunities that focus on practical problem-solving skill-building.
Build in reflection and feedback loops to help individuals and teams improve their approach.

Leadership

Start a mentorship program that connects emerging leaders with experienced mentors.
Offer low-risk leadership opportunities to individuals new to their management roles, such as leading a project or committee.
Use targeted microlearning modules to build skills in areas like communication, coaching, and strategic thinking.
Regularly assess and review leadership competencies and create individual learning and development plans.

In today’s competitive marketplace, the ability to close workforce skills gaps is a strategic differentiator. By focusing on high-impact areas like artificial intelligence, problem-solving, and leadership – and using skills management tools to identify and address those gaps – your organization can build a more capable, confident, and future-ready workforce.

Ready to assess your team’s skills and build a smarter development plan? Download Avilar’s Competency Management Toolkit to see how a competency management program can help. Or contact us to see if Avilar’s WebMentor Skills™ can help you turn skills gaps into opportunities for growth.