Employers are ramping up training. According to the latest research from Bersin by Deloitte, U.S. corporations increased training expenditures by 10% in 2014, and employers are investing in internal skill development. Here are some other leadership development trends we’re seeing in the marketplace.

1. “We need to look within our organizations for leaders to develop.” Companies are resuming thoughts of the future after concentrating on day-to-day survival for the last couple of years.  With many leaders close to retirement and so many shifts in the workforce, companies are not completely depending on recruiting from outside their organizations.  They are focused on training their people to take on additional responsibilities to grow their future leaders from within.
2. “Hiring is taking longer than ever.” With so many people unemployed, it would seem that it would be easy to hire people.  As advertised job openings have increased, employers are taking even longer to hire the right people than they did before the recession. This makes sifting through and sourcing the right people more challenging, especially when it is a hard to fill role, in particular for executive leadership and specialized technical roles.  We see clients still finding it a challenge to find the right people for the right roles, and taking their time to avoid making a hiring mistake.
3. “Employee engagement is even more of a priority.” With the economy growing at a healthy pace, the hiring outlook is not as bleak as it has been in prior months.  Companies are taking a fresh look at employee morale levels to ensure that they can retain their top talent, who has not recently had as much freedom to switch companies in recent years, and might find greener pastures.  While employees make their own decisions, employers can create a motivating environment.