Top 7 Most in-Demand Soft Skills in the Next Decade

Efe Dickson
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Sep 03, 2022

The workplace is changing as a result of digital and AI-powered technology, prompting people to pick up new, in-demand skills and adapt to new job roles. According to the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report, by 2025, 50% of all employees would need to reskill as a result of increased technology usage. Let that sink in for a moment: in order to stay up with the digital revolution and remain employable, more than half of the present and future workforce will need to master whole new in-demand skills and competencies.

Increased technological use will result in a shift in skills for all jobs, and the skills gap will remain considerable. Employees who remain in their roles will also see a significant shift in the core talents necessary for their jobs. As a result, it is critical that organizations and individuals alike establish a forward-thinking mentality and begin making preparations.

It is worth noting that the job environment will not be dominated solely by digital and tech-related skills. A wide range of interpersonal, leadership, and communication skills, as well as critical thinking, problem-solving, resilience, and active learning, will be required in the future workforce. Take a deep breath, then let's go a little deeper.

The following is a list of the most in-demand technical skills in the next few years.

1. Time Management

Working from home, working full-time in an office, running your own business, or working for an organization all require the ability to manage your time successfully. Keep in mind that time management is about working smarter, not harder. Extra hours aren't required for folks who are excellent time managers. They understand when they are most productive and use this time effectively, allocating their less productive hours to other duties.

Developing excellent time management skills is also beneficial to your mental health. When you can efficiently manage your time, you may achieve a better work-life balance and make room in your life for the things that are most important to you.

2. Digital literacy

Digital literacy is now a need due to the way technology has permeated almost every function. Professionals who aren't directly responsible for software development nonetheless need to embrace programming and general digital literacy, have practical experience with data analysis and statistics in their respective fields, and extend their computational and algorithmic thinking.

Understanding of digital systems and the foundations of digital ethics are additional in-demand abilities that will be necessary for any position in the future (e.g., smart systems, cybersecurity, and tech enablement).

3. Interpersonal skills in demand

This category encompasses a range of abilities necessary for productive teamwork, forming connections with others, and advancing shared objectives.

Communication skills. This region has received a lot of attention recently. Digital's function is being reimagined and is becoming even more crucial today as it has for many companies. The personnel should think about developing their narrative and public speaking abilities, message synthesis, and active listening skills.
Mental adaptability. The essential competencies that are in demand will enable businesses and their workforces to embrace and lead the transformation. They include flexibility, adaptability, and the capacity to learn. In this sense, they must make an investment in fostering creativity, the capacity to accept multiple viewpoints, and the ability to apply information in varied circumstances.
Relationship building. Employees who want to be successful in this field must embrace empathy, humility, sociability, and the capacity to inspire trust.
Efficacy of teamwork. Although certain positions call for independence, efficient task completion almost always requires cooperation. Collaboration skills will thus be crucial. Along with superior dispute resolution skills, the capacity to inspire various personality types, coach and empower them, and promote inclusivity are also part of the package.

4. Curiosity and Skills Enhancement

Curiosity is the one quality that I believe everyone should strive to develop. Regardless of your age or profession, embracing a continual learning mentality is essential to succeeding in the workplace of the future. You will be more open to change if you are curious and committed to learning new things. You will also be better able to adapt to big changes in the workplace today if you keep your skills up-to-date. You want to offer yourself the best chance to live a successful, satisfying life while remaining relevant to employers. Develop a development mentality and pique your curiosity.

5. Emotional Intelligence

The capacity to express and manage our emotions is referred to as emotional intelligence. An emotionally intelligent person understands how their emotions influence their own behaviors as well as the behaviors of people around them and can control those emotions properly. I believe empathy—the ability to perceive the world through the eyes of another—is an important component of emotional intelligence.

6. Critical Thinking

The most important abilities to develop for success in this age of fake news, social media bubbles, and information overload are critical thinking and problem-solving. Thinking critically entails evaluating topics and circumstances in light of the available data rather than rumour, one's own prejudices, or personal judgments. By using critical thinking, you may determine what is true and what is not in a range of scenarios by challenging the reliability of the evidence.

7. Data Literacy

Data is currently one of the most significant and valuable business assets for most firms, which implies that organizations will want to hire individuals who can take data and successfully use it. In the usual corporate setting, data literacy means being able to obtain relevant data and comfortably operate with it. To promote data literacy by focusing on extracting meaning from data and sharing data-driven ideas with others.

You'll also be able to examine the integrity and authenticity of any data you're dealing with, rather than just blindly accepting the information you're provided, if you have data literacy.

Conclusion

The ability to govern oneself, to be mature, and to have emotional intelligence are also being evaluated. In order to cover these areas, employees must be able to understand their own emotions and triggers, recognize their own strengths, and exhibit self-control, self-motivation, and integrity.