Alejandro Oses, CEO and cofounder at Rootstack. I lead digital accelerations for companies across all industries.
If the world and technology change second by second, how can work environments not change? All companies, from the smallest to the largest, are experiencing changes and transformations, and this has also caused their internal needs to change, as well as the demands of their clients.
Overview Of Employee Skills Today
This context has raised the urgency of updating the skills of work teams in order not to be left behind by so many changes in the market. All of this is redefining the work environment of businesses, as they adopt more AI tools, for example, they indicated in an article from the World Economic Forum.
Employees are also very aware that more and more skills are required to meet today’s business expectations. According to a PwC survey, 58% of those interviewed said that the skills they need will change significantly in the next five years.
The evolution of labor markets is causing the workforce to be more personalized and specialized, hiring under a skills-centered approach to carry out their work more efficiently, they pointed out in a World Bank blog, in which they added that more than 1 billion workers will need to be retrained in the next decade.
Another interesting fact is that employers are placing much greater value on skills related to cognitive abilities, self-sufficiency skills and skills for working with others, according to the Future of Jobs 2023 report, prepared by the World Economic Forum.
Top Skills Employers Will Be Looking For By 2025
Looking at the current situation, what are the skills that companies are looking for the most today? Here’s what we’ll look at below:
Interpersonal skills
Let’s start with a basic, but timeless and essential skill: knowing how to communicate and collaborate. Aneesh Raman, vice president of LinkedIn, said that interpersonal skills are increasingly important in professional growth. To the extent that employees know how to communicate better, they will be able to establish better relationships and there will be more success and productivity in projects.
One way to foster these interpersonal skills is by promoting clear and open communication within the team, as well as practicing active listening and empathy. Also, by fostering an open and safe environment for everyone to express themselves and be authentic.
Adaptability
In the face of such a changing context in which we live, adaptability is a skill that companies look for in their work teams.
“And this skill will become even more important as the pace of change only increases. Since 2015, skills for positions have changed, on average, 25%; by 2030, that figure is expected to reach at least 65%,” noted a LinkedIn article.
The key to strengthening a team’s adaptability is the acceptance of error, creating an environment where mistakes are seen as learning opportunities rather than failure. Maintaining an open mindset to experimentation is key.
Full Stack Development
With the ever-increasing development of digital platforms, companies are looking for full-stack developers who can help them with both front-end and back-end tasks in their projects. Having a profile of this type, with a broader knowledge of both areas, can lead to more complete results and conclusions.
As a leader, you can support your team of developers to continue training until they become full stack by offering courses and certifications that contribute to their professional growth. This way, they are updated and your company is too.
Python, SQL And Java
These three programming skills remain among the most in-demand by employers, according to a study conducted by the System Design School, based on data from job postings on Glassdoor.
To encourage your team to train in these areas, your company can offer to cover the costs of the courses, provide free hours for studying, or reward those who complete certifications with recognition.
Creative Thinking
Among cognitive skills, creative thinking is one of the crown jewels. A Statista study indicated that more than 70% of the companies surveyed considered creative thinking to be one of the skills most expected to gain importance between 2023 and 2027.
“In fact, cognitive skills are the ones that are gaining the most importance due to the increasing complexity in the workplace,” they point out.
Leaders need to value all of their team’s opinions and show genuine interest in their proposals. This will create a safe environment in which employees will feel encouraged to be creative.
AI
At least 10,000 jobs are opening up each month in the AI field, making this one of the most in-demand areas in the technology sector today, a trend that will continue to grow throughout the remainder of 2024 and into 2025.
In this case, you can set clear team goals for AI skills development, such as completing a course or workshop within a certain time, for example, to reinforce these skills on a daily basis.
Machine Learning
“The global machine learning market is projected to reach an impressive US$209 billion by 2029, and the demand for people with these types of data skills is increasing accordingly,” they noted in an article on the Datacamp portal.
Contact with experts always motivates teams to improve their skills, so you can invite an ML expert to your company to give a talk, instructing and nurturing the developers on your team in this area.
Conclusions
The skills employers are looking for in 2025 reflect the rapidly evolving work environment driven by technology and social changes. From technological competencies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, to soft skills such as effective communication and adaptability, companies are prioritizing profiles that can navigate a dynamic and digitalized world.
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