Despite government-backed efforts to cement the UK’s place as a science and technology superpower by 2030 with multi-million pound investments in AI, new research launched today from online learning platform Coursera places the UK 45th globally for technology and business skills proficiency.

The findings come from Coursera‘s 2024 Global Skills Report, which draws on data from over 148 million learners and 7,000 institutional partners from 109 countries to identify skill proficiency trends.

This data is combined with third-party indicators, including the Global Innovation Index (GII), Labour Force Participation Rate, Human Capital Index (HCI), and GDP per capita.

The results indicate that the UK is continuing to fall behind in the global race for key skills, having ranked 38th in 2022 and 64th in 2023.

This year, the UK continues to be outperformed by prominent European counterparts, including Germany (3rd), France (5th), Spain (7th), as well as developing economies like Brazil (19th).

The UK’s struggle to upskill are matched and exceeded by other Anglophone peers, most notably the United States, which places 69th.

This is in contrast to a recent report from Tech Nation showing that the UK is leading Europe in terms of its tech sector revenue funding and growth.

Explosive Growth in GenAI Upskilling 

Coursera’s data reveals rapid growth in GenAI course enrolments – a 1,060% year-on-year increase – as the world races toward AI literacy. While the UK has seen a 961% increase in AI upskilling in the past 12 months, it has seen a lower uptake than the global average, and lags behind the US (1,058%).

Nations across the world appear to be prioritising AI upskilling more than the UK. In Brazil, which ranks among the global top 20, and which attains cutting-edge proficiency in tech and data science, there has been a 1,079% year-on-year increase in GenAI course enrollments.

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“With the UK technology sector employing millions of people and contributing over £150 billion to the nation’s economy, the country’s institutions and leaders must continue to prioritise upskilling to remain competitive in the AI age – one in which two-third of jobs may be exposed to the some degree of automation” said Jeff Maggioncalda, Coursera CEO.

“This report aims to offer actionable insights for UK businesses, governments, and academic institutions as they respond to this unprecedented disruption, and contribute to a future in which access to high-quality learning empowers everyone.”