eLearning Statistics Companies Need to Know

Woman looking at statistics sheets

eLearning has become a standard in today’s business. With the help of eLearning, companies increase revenues, minimize downtime, provide accommodations, and engage their workforce. So exactly how big is eLearning? The numbers below provided by eLearning Company can help you answer this question.

  • An employee typically spends 40-60% less time on eLearning compared to traditional learning settings.
  • A good eLearning program can offer retention rates as high as 25-60%.
  • In the same amount of time, eLearning solutions can deliver 5 times more material compared to a classroom setting.
  • 42% of companies attribute the increase in revenue to eLearning.
  • On average, every dollar invested in online training results in $30 in productivity gains.
  • Employee engagement increases by 18% by the use of eLearning solutions.
  • Over 40% of Fortune 500 companies currently use technology for training, and this number will only increase with time.
  • 72% of companies agree that eLearning helps them increase their competitive edge due to its ability to keep up with the changes.
  • The eLearning industry has grown by 900% since the year 2000.
  • Companies that use eLearning generate on average 26% more revenue per employee.
  • When IBM switched to eLearning, it saved about $200 million.
  • Compared to face-to-face training, eLearning requires 90% less energy and produces 85% less CO2.

Update after the close of FY2017

Total 2017 U.S. training expenditures—including payroll and spending on external products and services—rose significantly, increasing 32.5 percent to $90.6 billion. Spending on outside products and services remained the same at $7.5 billion, while other training expenditures (i.e., travel, facilities, equipment) increased to $44.5 billion from $26.1 billion. Meanwhile, training payroll increased 12.4 percent to $41.6 billion.

The training expenditure figures were calculated by projecting the average training budget to a weighted universe of 125,338 companies, using a Dun & Bradstreet database available through Hoovers of U.S. organizations with more than 100 employees.

Note: Although small companies have the smallest annual budgets, there are so many of them (110,810), that they account for one-third of the total budget for training expenditures.

The average training expenditures for large companies increased from $14.3 million in 2016 to $17 million in 2017. Likewise, the number of small companies rose to $1 million from $376,251 in 2016. But midsize companies remained mostly fiat at $1.5 million.

Update after the close of FY2018

Budget status remained much the same as last year, with 37 percent saying their training budget increased and 48 percent saying it remained the same. Some 15 percent reported a decrease in budget. Last year, 36 percent said their budget went up, 49 percent said it remained the same, and 15 percent said it went down. Services companies showed the greatest tendency for budget cuts, while retailers showed a greater tendency for gains. Increases were not evenly distributed across organization sizes. More small and midsize companies showed increases (32 and 51 percent, respectively) than decreases (14 and 11 percent, respectively) than midsize and large companies, where the numbers were more balanced (23 percent for each).

Most of the budget increases were modest—less than 16 percent. Some 42 percent saw increases in the 6 to 15 percent range, while 30 percent of organizations reported increases in the 1 to 5 percent range. Most respondents who reported an increase in their training budgets attributed it to the following reasons:

  • New eLearning trends
  • Increase in the scope of their training programs (65 percent vs. 67 percent last year)
  • Added training staff (48 percent vs. 54 percent last year)
  • Increased number of learners served (48 percent vs. 49 percent last year)
  • Purchased new technologies/ equipment (34 percent vs. 38 percent last year)

References

http://info.shiftelearning.com/blog/bid/301248/15-facts-and-stats-that-reveal-the-power-of-elearning

https://trainingmag.com/trgmag-article/2017-training-industry-report/

https://trainingmag.com/trgmag-article/2018-training-industry-report/

What benefits can a company get with eLearning?

With the help of eLearning, companies increase revenues, minimize downtime, provide accommodations, and engage their workforce.

What is the knowledge retention rate of a good eLearning program?

A good eLearning program can offer knowledge retention rates as high as 25-60%.

How much did IBM save when it switched to eLearning?

When IBM switched to eLearning, it saved about $200 million.

How much time can an employee save when they use eLearning compared to traditional learning settings?

An employee typically spends 40-60% less time on eLearning compared to traditional learning settings.

What are the reasons for the general increase in training budgets?

– New eLearning trends.
– Increase in the scope of their training programs (65 percent vs. 67 percent last year).
– Added training staff (48 percent vs. 54 percent last year)
– Increased number of learners served (48 percent vs. 49 percent last year)
– Purchased new technologies/ equipment (34 percent vs. 38 percent last year)

eLearning Company Blog | March 28, 2017