Skills in demand for 2023

The job market continues to evolve, and candidates must stay in tune with the developments and changes, acquiring new skills to compete in the market.

The technology industry continues to develop and hit breakthroughs. Therefore businesses are in constant search of candidates with highly-valuable skills. Based on data from industry experts and leading career platforms, here are ten skills in demand for 2023.

Related: The Most In-Demand DevOps Skills

1. Communication

Communication means being able to communicate effectively in a verbal and nonverbal way. The art of communication is also a two-way process and involves actively listening to others. Communication is a valued skill in business. Not only does communication increase productivity, but it also helps avoid issues caused by miscommunication. In addition, if you can effectively articulate yourself, it will make you a better team member. Take a look at these tips to improve your communication skills.

2. Emotional Intelligence

A critical skill in business is the ability to understand and manage emotions. If you are emotionally intelligent, you will be better able to understand the feelings and motivations of others. Therefore they can build trust and foster better collaboration. Furthermore, research suggests that emotionally intelligent leaders are more effective at achieving their goals.

To bond and develop relationships with your colleagues and clients, you need to recognise and understand different feelings and their impact. Furthermore, emotional intelligence can improve your work performance. Therefore, if you are stressed, you can try to relieve the cause and, in turn, improve your productivity.

If you want to improve your emotional intelligence, a good starting point for improving your emotional intelligence is to interact with people from various backgrounds. Another aspect of emotional intelligence is getting to know yourself and how you think. If you can be self-aware, it’s an attractive trait for employers.

3. Cognitive Flexibility

With the rise of digital technologies, you will need to be able to adapt quickly. Highly cognitively flexible individuals are likely to be more adaptable and able to handle unexpected situations and assimilate new knowledge more quickly. In addition, cognitive flexibility increases your chance of employment as it allows you to build relationships, solve problems effectively, and adapt to a rapidly changing environment.

Cognitive flexibility also entails having the flexibility to change your communication style depending on the audience. Employers value your ability to adapt and change your communication style according to a person’s needs.

5. Digital & Data Literacy

Digital revolutions such as automation, digitalisation, and AI are occurring in the workplace. Therefore, digital literacy is essential. Employees with digital literacy abilities may use technology to interact with one another and collaborate, which improves cooperation. In addition, if you work on these abilities, it can prevent generational gaps.

Identifying which digital talents you may or may not require in the current workplace is becoming more difficult. Digital literacy is a language, and the more proficiency you have in it, the more fluently you can communicate.

6. Critical Thinking

With the changing workplace landscape, employers will look for and hire staff that can think critically and solve problems. Critical thinking is identifying and assessing a situation and developing a creative solution. Skills related to this group include the ability to understand the structured problem, search for relevant information, logical reasoning, and master agile thinking.

Most often, critical thinkers make the best decisions. Using your necessary thinking skills in the workplace will define you as a problem-solver. Demonstrating your ability to solve problems and accomplish goals effectively will help instil confidence in you with all your coworkers.