More than a third of employers called digital literacy an advantage

Over the past two years, the role of knowledge on digital literacy has increased: 36% of employers consider their availability to be a universal advantage for applicants for any position. These are the conclusions reached by the Cyberdom project analysts. Izvestia got acquainted with the research data on June 11.

Cybergramacy has become the most in—demand area of corporate training - 32% of respondents named it a priority. The second place was taken by the skills of working with artificial intelligence (25%). According to the Cyberdome Academy, in the first quarter of 2026, the number of requests from medium and large businesses for training in these areas doubled.

Companies also pay attention to anti—crisis management and business development programs - 22% of respondents consider them relevant. Another 13% of employers rely on the development of classic soft skills, including leadership and time management.

Online courses, which are used by 50% of companies, remain the most popular training format. Mentoring programs operate in 24% of organizations, and internal trainings are regularly conducted by about 20% of employers. Only 5% of companies pay for full-fledged additional education, including MBA programs. At the same time, more than a quarter of the study participants combine different learning formats, including using augmented reality technologies and immersive educational spaces.

If we talk about specific areas, most often employees are trained in negotiations and sales — such programs have been implemented in 46% of companies. Teamwork trainings are conducted by 35% of employers, and courses on digital hygiene and computer literacy rank third in popularity and are available in 32% of organizations. Only 12% of companies offer corporate foreign language learning.

From a place to a career: the demand for retraining is growing rapidly in Russia

Employers are ready to hire employees upfront, providing them with opportunities to master new functions.

According to Ekaterina Yelenskaya, the commercial director of Cyberdom, modern requirements for employees have significantly expanded.

"In addition to managerial skills, specialists and managers at all levels should have knowledge in the field of cybersecurity, working with artificial intelligence, critical and business thinking, as well as meta-skills. However, not everyone needs to understand the technical details. Today, programs with different depths of immersion are in demand, both for top managers and for line employees working with business—sensitive information," she noted.

The study also showed that companies are willing to invest in staff development. Almost half of employers (45%) pay for educational programs for employees, and another 3% provide this opportunity exclusively to senior staff.

The majority of respondents (55%) are confident that additional training directly affects business results. Only 19% of companies stated that they rely solely on the existing skills of their employees and do not consider training a priority.

When recruiting staff, employers are increasingly evaluating not only the professional knowledge of candidates, but also additional competencies. The most sought—after skill remains the ability to sell - 55% of respondents noted its importance. This is followed by skills in working with artificial intelligence and neural networks (46%), financial literacy (43%), as well as the ability to work with data and digital tools (41%). Cyber literacy skills are important for every fifth employer — 20% of the survey participants noted them.

CEO of the Job search and Employee Recruitment service GdeRabota.ru Ekaterina Agayeva told on April 7 in which areas there will be a steady demand for specialists in the coming years. According to her, engineering and labor specialties will keep their jobs. There is a shortage of specialists in these areas, and in the coming years, most likely, it will not be possible to overcome the shortage of personnel. Robotics specialists will also be in demand.