Employee Development 2026: Big Promises, Structural Gaps

Employee development as a core focus area

Employee development is an important part of the employee lifecycle. In 2025, its strategic importance will continue to grow, driven by new skill requirements around artificial intelligence and by economic conditions that have led many companies to slow down hiring. As a result, the focus is shifting toward how existing employees can be retained, empowered, and continuously developed.

However, employee development is not only relevant from a company perspective. For employees themselves, it is becoming increasingly important. International studies have consistently shown that a lack of development and learning opportunities is one of the most common reasons for employees to resign. Younger generations especially strongly associate job satisfaction with personal growth, learning opportunities, and long-term career prospects.

An analysis by MIT Sloan Management Review, for example, shows that missing career and development opportunities are among the strongest drivers of voluntary turnover

The study: Employee development in Germany 2026

To gain a comprehensive picture of the current situation, Mystery Minds conducted a nationwide survey in Germany in cooperation with YouGov. The study included 1,004 employees aged 18 to 65 and was conducted entirely in Germany. The goal of the study was not just to determine whether learning and development offerings exist, but to understand

• how employees perceive these offerings
• how well they can be integrated into everyday work
• where concrete gaps exist
• and what role employee development plays in motivation, satisfaction, and retention

The focus was intentionally placed on the employee experience, rather than on formal programs or HR strategies on paper.

 

Study results: How employees experience learning and development opportunities

The results confirm many assumptions already suggested by previous studies, including research from other countries. Learning and development clearly matter to employees, yet many companies struggle to integrate them effectively into everyday work. In detail, the study revealed the following key findings.

1. Learning is important, but not equally available to everyone

One central result stands out. Learning and development are highly relevant for the vast majority of employees, but they are not available to everyone. 16% of respondents state that there are currently no learning or development offerings in their company. At the same time, 82% say that learning and development opportunities are important or very important to them.

This gap highlights a clear disconnect. The desire for growth is widespread, but existing offerings do not reach all employees. Given ongoing skills shortages and rapid technological change, this is a critical finding.

 

2. Offerings exist but are not always accessible or relevant

Even when learning opportunities are available, employees often face barriers. 22% of respondents say it is difficult or very difficult for them to find a suitable learning opportunity within their company.

This points to a structural issue. Learning does not necessarily fail due to a lack of budget, but rather because of a lack of transparency, poor discoverability, and irrelevance. Employees are often unsure which offerings exist, how to access them, or whether these offerings fit their actual job requirements.

A closer look at the reasons for frustration with the current development offerings supports this pattern. Lack of time, low relevance, and insufficient integration into daily work are among the most common reasons why learning offers are not used.

3. Dissatisfaction despite strong willingness to learn

Another key finding is that 14% of respondents are very or somewhat dissatisfied with their company’s current learning and development offerings.

What makes this particularly striking is that dissatisfaction does not stem from a lack of interest in learning. On the contrary, even dissatisfied employees still rate learning and development as important. Frustration arises because offerings are perceived as ineffective, irrelevant, or difficult to apply in daily work.

4. Employee development as a clear retention factor

The strategic importance of learning becomes especially clear when looking at employee retention. 56% of respondents say an attractive learning and development offering influences their long-term decision to stay with a company.

These results align with international findings. Great Place to Work shows that companies with strong development opportunities not only achieve higher engagement levels but also significantly lower turnover rates. Employee development, therefore, acts not just as a short-term motivator but as a long-term stabilizing factor for organizations.

 

Why one off training is often not enough

The study results suggest that many companies still rely heavily on formal, one time training formats such as seminars, workshops, or online courses. While these formats are important, they often remain isolated measures focused primarily on knowledge transfer.

The key question, however, is how much of that knowledge is actually applied. Without exchange, application, and repetition, even high quality content quickly loses its impact.

A sustainable learning strategy goes beyond individual training sessions. It is built on a lived learning culture in which knowledge is continuously shared, reflected upon, and applied in everyday work. Formal learning and informal learning are not opposites but complementary elements of effective employee development.

 

The state of employee development in 2026

For deeper insights into the study results and a detailed breakdown by different employee groups, the full study can be downloaded here.