Research from Vodafone shows one in five UK managers have experienced a skills gap because of the downturn, but 12% have learned new skills because they have had to cover for departed colleagues - one in 10 women and one in 20 men.
Eight out of 10 staff who needed to acquire new skills feel they did not get sufficient training and 50% of staff aged between 16 and 24 had no training at all.
And a third of workers think having to learn new skills has increased their stress levels at work and this figure peaks at 36% among staff aged 16 to 24 compared with 29% for staff over 55.
Peter Kelly, enterprise director at Vodafone UK, said: "Organisations of all sizes in all sectors are either considering or have already had to make difficult decisions regarding their people. It is important to investigate how reorganisation of workforces are impacting the skills base, what makes the difference between surviving and succeeding and what advice can be given in managing costs without destroying old and new skills."
Pressure on staff grows as they learn skills to cover for redundant colleagues
Women are twice as likely as men to have learned new skills because of the recession.
