A survey by LinkedIn Learning drawn from 660+ million professionals and 20+ million jobs revealed the 15-most in-demand hard and soft skills of 2020.
In no particular order these skills include:
Cloud Computing
Today, companies are built and run on the cloud. They need talents who have the skills to help them drive technical architecture, design, and delivery of cloud systems like Microsoft Azure.
Analytical Reasoning
Data has become the foundation of every single business. Organizations want talent who can make sense of it and uncover insights that drive the best decisions for the business.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) augments the capabilities of the human workforce. The people who can harness the power of AI, machine learning, and natural language processing are the ones who will help organizations deliver more relevant, personalized, and innovative products and services.
5 UX Design
It seems like the average attention span of consumers decreases every year and they have little patience for products that aren’t intuitive. Organizations need more expertise to help them build more human-centric products and experiences.
Business Analysis
Business analysis is one of the few hard skills every professional should have, as most roles require some level of business analysis to make decisions.
These may include, Analytics for Business, Data Driven Presentations with Excel and PowerPoint e.t.c
Affiliate Marketing
With the decline of traditional advertising and the rise of social media, affiliate marketing is rapidly rising as a must-have hard skill. Affiliate marketing leverages company partnerships or influencers that are hyper-targeted to a particular audience.
Sales
You’d be hard pressed to find a company that doesn’t need great sales people—those who can effectively manage a sales team, understand the sales funnel, work with cross-functional partners, and sell into the highest levels of the business. Scientific Computing (Up 3)
Scientific computing; Skills are held by data science professionals, engineers, and software architects, and others. Companies need more professionals that can develop machine learning models and apply statistical and analytical approaches to large data sets using programs like Python, MATLAB, and more.
Video Production
Consumers have an insatiable appetite for video content, so it makes sense that video production continues to be a priority for companies. Cisco estimates that video will account for 82% of global internet traffic in 2022.
Blockchain
Blockchain technology was born in 2009 to support the use of cryptocurrency. But blockchain’s novel way to store, validate, authorize, and move data across the internet has evolved to securely store and send any digital asset. The small supply of professionals who have this skill are in high demand.
The survey also highlighted the most needed soft skills which-are-the essential interpersonal skills that make or break our ability to get things done in our current jobs and take on new opportunities ahead.
They include;
Creativity
Many organizations need people who can creatively approach problems and tasks across all business roles, from software engineering to HR. Focus on honing your ability to bring new ideas to the table in 2020.
Persuasion
Leaders and hiring managers value individuals who can explain the “why.” To advance your career, brush up on your ability to effectively communicate ideas and persuade your colleagues and stakeholders that it’s in their best interest to follow your lead.
Collaboration
High-functioning teams can accomplish more than any individual—and organizations know it. Learn how your strengths can complement those of your colleagues to reach a common goal.
Adaptability
The only constant in life—and in business—is change. To stand out in 2020, embrace that reality and show up with a positive attitude and open-minded professionalism, especially in stressful situations.
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive, evaluate, and respond to your own emotions and the emotions of others. New to the most in-demand skills list this year, the need for emotional intelligence underscores the importance of effectively responding to and interacting with our colleagues.
