The Most In-Demand Skills for 2023
Despite fears of an economic downturn and almost daily news of large-scale layoffs, the talent market is still extremely competitive. In the United States, there are 1.9 open jobs for every unemployed job seeker, giving candidates plenty of choices about where to work.
Global talent shortages have reached a 16-year high, as 75% of employers can’t find the talent they need with the right blend of technical and soft skills. As business needs continue to evolve, the skills gap will only widen over time unless employers and their team members focus 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 and the 10 most in-demand hard skills for 2023.
The Most In-Demand Skills
1. Management
2. Communication
3. Customer service
4. Leadership
5. Sales
6. Project management
7. Research
8. Analytical skills
9. Marketing
10. Teamwork
The Most In-Demand Hard Skills
1. Software development
2. SQL
3. Finance
4. Python
5. Java
6. Data analysis
7. JavaScript
8. Cloud computing
9. Operations
10. Customer relationship management
To see the most in-demand skills by areas of expertise, including recruiting, learning and development, IT, marketing, finance/accounting, engineering, and sales, read this post from LinkedIn Learning.
What are hard and soft skills?
Hard skills concern an employee’s ability to perform a role-specific responsibility. They include specialized knowledge and technical abilities that enable someone to complete their work. For example, software engineers may need to be well-versed in cloud computing, SQL, and Java.
Soft skills are personal traits and behaviors that are often developed through life experiences and can impact the way an individual goes about their work. They’re typically transferable to any type of job, though certain soft skills can make a person better suited for a particular kind of work. For example, creative individuals may be better suited for a design role than a job in the legal field.
Both hard and soft skills can be learned and developed over time.
The 10 most in-demand skills for 2023
The most in-demand skills for 2023 indicate where employers could face the strongest competition — as well as identify the skills that could help candidates improve their employability. Focusing professional development programs in these key areas could benefit companies and their team members immensely.
Many of these — like management, communication, and research — are cross-functional skills that are applicable to a wide range of industries and job functions. LinkedIn Learning has, for each skill, unlocked a course to help professionals learn or polish that skill. The courses remain free until March 15, 2023.
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.
Reskill/upskill: Be the Manager People Won’t Leave with Laurie Ruettimann
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.
Reskill/upskill: Communication Foundations with Brenda Bailey-Hughes and Tatiana Kolovou
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.
Reskill/upskill: Customer Service Foundations with Jeff Toister. Get certified with this learning path: Zendesk Customer Service Professional Certificate.
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.
Reskill/upskill: Human Leadership with Erica Keswin
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.
Reskill/upskill: Sales Foundations with Jeff Bloomfield
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.
Reskill/upskill: Project Management Foundations with Bonnie Biafore
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.
Reskill/upskill: Market Research Foundations with Sarah Weise
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.
Reskill/upskill: Critical Thinking and Problem Solving with Madecraft and Eric Zackrison
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.
Reskill/upskill: Digital Marketing Foundations with Brad Batesole
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.
Reskill/upskill: Being an Effective Team Member with Daisy Lovelace
The 10 most in-demand hard skills for 2023
Technical roles are some of the most competitive for employers to fill, so it’s not surprising that many of the most in-demand hard skills align with these roles.
The most in-demand hard skills this year are:
1. Software development
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the digital transformation and software development skills are needed to support this shift. Several popular programming languages, including Python, Java, and JavaScript, are also among the most in-demand hard skills for 2023.
Reskill/upskill: Programming Foundations: Fundamentals with Annyce Davis. Get certified via this learning path: Career Essentials in Software Development
2. SQL
Many companies manage and analyze large, complex data sets in order to perform key business functions. SQL is an essential skill to retrieve and understand that data so it can be used to make informed business decisions.
Reskill/upskill: SQL Essential Training with Walter Shields
3. Finance
Finance skills have always been a core need for most businesses, though looming economic uncertainty makes it more important for companies to get their finances in order. Careful planning can help companies forecast for various scenarios so they can adapt to unpredictable market conditions — whether that means an economic contraction or expansion.
Reskill/upskill: Reading Corporate Financial Statements with Denise Probert
4. Python
Python is one of the most used programming languages today — and it will likely remain so for the foreseeable future. Python’s compatibility with all major operating systems and wide range of use cases makes it a worthwhile skill for technical workers to master.
Reskill/upskill: Python Essential Training with Ryan Mitchell
5. Java
Java is another popular open-source programming language. Like Python, it’s platform-independent and has a broad range of applications. It’s most useful for designing web and phone apps, as well as cloud computing, making it hyper-relevant in our increasingly digital world.
Reskill/upskill: Hands-On Introduction: Java with Angie Jones
6. Data analysis
Data is collected in every business function and must be analyzed to gain insights that can be used to make informed decisions. Effective data analytics can help organizations optimize performance and reduce costs.
Reskill/upskill: Learning Data Analytics: 1 Foundations with Robin Hunt. Get certified with this learning path: Career Essentials in Data Analysis.
7. JavaScript
JavaScript is a scripting language that’s used to develop dynamic web pages and platforms that automatically update with the latest information and multimedia required. As the most commonly used programming language, JavaScript is already familiar to many developers.
Reskill/upskill: JavaScript Essential Training with Morten Rand-Hendriksen
8. Cloud computing
Cloud computing has largely displaced on-premise software due to increased accessibility, scalability, and cost savings. Engineers with cloud computing skills are still in very high demand as companies build and maintain these solutions.
Reskill/upskill: Learning Cloud Computing: Core Concepts with David Linthicum
9. Operations
Operations skills help organizations manage their resources and processes so they run more efficiently. This can result in improved productivity, lower costs, and a stronger competitive advantage.
Reskill/upskill: Quality Management for Operational Excellence with Richard Chua
10. Customer relationship management (CRM)
It’s easier — and less expensive — to retain an existing customer than it is to find a new one. Customer relationship management skills enable workers to build strong relationships with their current and prospective customers so they can increase loyalty and repeat business.
Reskill/upskill: Salesforce Essential Training with Jamie Grettum
Final thoughts: In-demand skills are shifting
Out of the 20 most in-demand skills identified, only two — cloud computing and sales — were included in the last LinkedIn analysis three years ago. The skills that companies need most are constantly changing. And the companies — and employees — that reskill and upskill in a timely manner will be the ones that come out ahead and then stay ahead.
Methodology:
The most in-demand skills were determined by looking at skills that are most sought after based on six months of data (April to October 2022) from employers, hirers, and job-posters on LinkedIn. Demand is measured by identifying skills possessed by members who were hired or InMailed, as well as the skills listed in paid job postings. In-demand hard skills were identified using the same methodology with an additional filter to exclude some of the most common nonspecialized skills.
