SKIP TO CONTENTHarvard Business Review LogoHarvard Business Review LogoManaging uncertainty|Want Workers to Reskill? Show Them Who They Can Become.SubscribeLatestMagazineTopicsPodcastsStoreReading ListsData & VisualsCase SelectionsHBR ExecutiveSearch hbr.orgSubscribeLatestPodcastsThe MagazineStoreWebinarsNewslettersAll TopicsReading ListsData & VisualsCase SelectionsHBR ExecutiveMy LibraryAccount SettingsExplore HBRLatestThe MagazinePodcastsStoreWebinarsNewslettersPopular TopicsManaging YourselfLeadershipStrategyManaging TeamsGenderInnovationWork-life BalanceAll TopicsFor SubscribersReading ListsData & VisualsCase SelectionsHBR ExecutiveSubscribeMy AccountMy LibraryTopic FeedsOrdersAccount SettingsEmail PreferencesHarvard Business Review LogoManaging uncertainty by Avery FormanJuly 6, 2026Caspar Benson/Getty ImagesPostSummary. When Italy’s government started offering free reskilling courses for well-paid jobs in IT and construction, few workers signed up—a puzzle that led researchers to investigate.Leer en españolLer em portuguêsPostThis article was produced by Harvard Business School Working Knowledge and features the insights of faculty member Raffaella Sadun.PostRead more on Managing uncertainty or related topics Managing employees, Change management, Personal growth and transformation, Personal purpose and values, Continuous learning, Career planning and Motivating peoplePartner Center
Want Workers to Reskill? Show Them Who They Can Become.
When Italy’s government started offering free reskilling courses for well-paid jobs in IT and construction, few workers signed up—a puzzle that led researchers to investigate. Surveying 1,100 unemployed Italian workers, they found that part of the problem was that career decisions are driven more by identity than income. Of those surveyed, only 38% said they would retrain, even when new roles paid better, because they feared a loss of status. Interventions providing concrete wage and job data modestly increased interest, but efforts to shift professional identity had some impact. The research suggests that to drive reskilling uptake, employers and policymakers must help workers envision themselves in new roles and clearly connect training to genuine career advancement.
