How many hours of training do employees get a year?

Employee training is an important investment for companies. Properly trained employees are more productive, make fewer mistakes, have higher job satisfaction, and are more likely to stay with the company. In today’s rapidly changing business environment, ongoing training and development is crucial for companies to remain competitive. But how much training is really necessary? Let’s take a closer look at how many hours of training employees typically receive each year.

There is no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to employee training hours per year. The amount of training needed depends on many factors, including:

• The industry
• The specific job role
• The experience level of the employee
• New initiatives or technologies being implemented
• Compliance requirements
• The company’s training budget and resources

Training needs also tend to be frontloaded for new hires versus ongoing employees. New employees often go through extensive onboarding training to get up to speed. After the initial onboarding period, ongoing training needs tend to level off.

That said, research suggests that most companies provide somewhere between 12 and 40 hours of training per employee per year. Let’s examine some of the data.

Training Industry Report

According to Training Magazine’s 2018 Training Industry Report, the average employee received 33.5 hours of training that year. This number was up slightly from 32.5 hours in 2017. The report is based on a survey of companies representing a broad range of industries, company sizes, and geographic regions.

Here is a breakdown of the average hours of training per employee by company size:

As shown in the table, larger companies with over 10,000 employees provided the most training at an average of 38.1 hours per employee. Small companies with less than 100 employees provided the least at 26.1 hours on average.

Association for Talent Development (ATD) Benchmarking Report

Another industry benchmark is the annual State of the Industry report published by ATD (Association for Talent Development). Their 2019 report surveyed 1,100 talent development professionals from a range of industries.

The ATD report found that on average, employees received 40.8 hours of formal learning in 2018. This number was up significantly from 34.1 hours in 2017. Formal learning includes things like instructor-led training, online courses, and knowledge sharing programs.

In addition to formal learning, the report found that employees received an average of:

• 20.6 hours of on-the-job training (down from 33.5 hours in 2017)
• 5.3 hours of mentoring and coaching (up slightly from 5.1 hours in 2017)

Adding up all the categories, the total average hours of training per employee came to 66.7 hours in 2018 based on the ATD survey. That is a notable increase from the 72.7 total average hours reported in 2017.

LinkedIn 2018 Workplace Learning Report

A 2018 report from LinkedIn provides another useful benchmark for employee training hours. The report is based on data from over 4,200 learning professionals across the globe.

According to the LinkedIn report, the average number of learning hours per employee was 42 in 2018. This number has held relatively steady over the past few years:

LinkedIn’s research found that employee tenure impacts average training hours. For example:

• New hires received 53 learning hours on average
• Employees with 1-5 years tenure received 44 hours
• Long-tenured employees with 6-15 years received 35 hours

Additionally, LinkedIn found differences based on the employee’s level within the organization. Executives and senior leaders received the most training at 58 hours annually. Managers and supervisors received 43 hours. Non-managers received 34 hours of training on average.

Summary of Research

While the numbers vary slightly across research reports, some common themes emerge:

• The overall average is around 30-40 hours of training per employee per year
• Larger companies tend to provide more training than smaller companies
• New hires and early career employees receive the most training
• Senior leaders and managers get more training than individual contributors
• There are significant differences across industries

The training benchmark that matters most is the one for your specific company. While industry benchmarks provide a useful guideline, the training needs within your organization will depend on your workplace culture, business goals, and employee demographics.

Factors That Influence Training Hours

Many variables impact just how many training hours employees need in a year. Here are some of the most significant factors:

The Industry

Some industries require more extensive and ongoing training than others due to regulations, technical complexity, risk, or other considerations. For example, employees in financial services, healthcare, aviation, and manufacturing tend to receive more intensive training.

The Specific Job Role

Within the same company, training needs can vary dramatically based on the employee’s role. For example, sales reps may require frequent new product or service training throughout the year. Engineers and IT professionals often need continual technical training to keep their skills current.

New Initiatives

Whenever a company introduces a new technology, process, compliance requirement, or other business initiative, additional training is needed to get employees up to speed. For example, a new customer relationship management (CRM) system might require several hours of training for the sales and customer service teams.

Experience Level

Employees who are new to a role or the company typically need extensive onboarding training. This includes both job skills training as well as orientation to the company culture and business. After the initial period, ongoing training needs tend to taper off.

Compliance Requirements

In regulated industries like healthcare and financial services, employees require regular compliance training. State and federal laws mandate training in areas like health and safety, privacy, and sexual harassment prevention.

Laws & Regulations

Beyond just compliance training, changing laws and regulations often spur additional training needs. For example, a state law requiring paid sick leave would necessitate training managers and HR professionals on the new requirements.

Business Goals

If the company has specific business goals for the year related to productivity, culture, safety, or other objectives, additional customized training may be warranted to support those goals.

Training Budget

The size of the training budget often dictates what is feasible. Companies with ample budgets can offer more training opportunities compared to those with tighter constraints.

Access to Technology

The availability of learning management systems, videoconferencing, eLearning courses, and other supporting technology expands training options.

Leadership Support

Managers who value training and make it a priority will ensure their team members participate in more learning activities.

Employee Interest

Employees who actively seek out training opportunities will likely receive more training than passive learners.

Best Practices for Employee Training Hours

While there are many factors to consider, a few best practices can help companies optimize their training hours.

• Conduct training needs assessments for each role
• Track training participation rates by department
• Set goals for training hours based on business objectives
• Provide training calendars so managers can plan ahead
• Rotate employees through different training programs
• Evaluate training regularly and gather employee feedback
• Use technology like learning management systems to track training
• Offer a mix of training formats like online, in person, on-the-job, mentoring, and more

Companies that take a strategic approach and tailor training to the needs of both the business and individual employees receive the most training payoff.

Conclusion

While industry research provides useful benchmarks, the ideal training hours depend entirely on your company’s specific needs and strategic priorities. By conducting training needs assessments, tracking participation, setting goals, and evaluating training effectiveness on an ongoing basis, you can optimize the training investment to build a more skilled, engaged and productive workforce.