Despite economic concerns and virtually daily reports of large-scale layoffs, the talent market remains fiercely competitive. There are 1.9 open jobs for every unemployed job seeker in the United States, offering hopefuls lots of options for where to work.
Global talent shortages have reached a 16-year high, with 75% of businesses unable to locate the proper mix of technical and soft skills. As company needs evolve, the skills gap will only grow unless employers and team members engage on upskilling and reskilling.
Focusing on the most in-demand skills can help ensure that employers have the talent they need to address their changing business needs, and that workers maintain relevant skill sets.
So, let’s take a look at the 10 most in-demand skills globally.
The 10 most in-demand skills for 2023
The most in-demand skills for 2023 suggest where employers may encounter the most competition — as well as abilities that may assist candidates improve their employability. Companies and their team members could benefit greatly from focusing professional development programmes in these important areas.
1. Management
Effective management is a key driver of employee engagement, productivity, and retention — all of which have suffered in recent years. It’s not surprising to see this skill in the top spot, as management skills are needed across all job functions. In fact, management was included among the top 10 most in-demand skills for business, sales, engineering, IT, project/program management, marketing, and recruiting roles.
2. Communication
The rapid adoption of remote work has made strong communication skills more important than ever, especially when employees are working asynchronously or communicating virtually. Employees need to be able to clearly communicate both in-person and across a variety of channels including email, instant messaging, project management software, and video.
3. Customer service
Nearly 90% of buyers say the customer experience a company provides matters as much as their products or services. The importance of customer service extends to any employee who would have contact with a customer, including salespeople, billing specialists, and support technicians. Exceptional customer service builds loyalty and helps organizations earn repeat business and drive sustained growth.
4. Leadership
The world of work is rapidly changing and organizations need modern leaders to help them adapt. Effective leadership skills are essential for adapting to new challenges and opportunities, inspiring teams to perform at their best, and fostering innovation to remain relevant in an ever-changing market.
5. Sales
Sales skills are used across a wide variety of job functions for different reasons. Recruiters, say, use sales skills to attract and engage job candidates. Company leaders use sales skills to secure financing. And salespeople need sales skills to close deals and retain customers. This is a highly transferable skill that can help employees succeed in many different roles.
6. Project management
Project management skills play a key role in ensuring that projects are completed on time, within budget, and within acceptable quality standards. This is a particularly important skill within distributed and cross-functional teams to ensure employee efforts are coordinated and cohesive.
7. Research
In today’s rapidly changing business environment, strong research skills are essential for informed decision-making and strategy development. This includes researching market trends, buyer behavior, and new technologies in order to stay relevant.
8. Analytical skills
Modern teams hire specialized, competent workers and encourage them to exercise individual autonomy. This requires that each person has the analytical skills needed to independently solve complex problems and make informed decisions.
9. Marketing
Marketing isn’t an isolated job function, it’s a cross-functional ability that’s become a top skill for sales, recruiting, and project/program management professionals. Marketing helps organizations differentiate from their competitors — whether that means building innovative solutions, pitching those solutions to customers, or engaging in-demand talent.
10. Teamwork
Teams are often made up of individuals with different experiences, backgrounds, and areas of expertise — and it would be a shame not to leverage that. Teamwork enables collaborative problem-solving that can lead to more innovative solutions.
