Skills that will be in high demand In 2019

Skills are undoubtedly the mainstay of professional success as they determine how much you can contribute to your workplace, and in the era of AI, soft skills emerge as the more valuable ones because they cannot be replicated by machines. No wonder, 57% of the senior leaders give precedence to them over hard skills. Here are the soft skills that will be on top in 2019. 

When it comes to professionals’ skills, you need to inculcate both soft skills and hard skills to become a dream resource for any organization.

Surprisingly, according to LinkedIn data, there are at least 50,000 professional skills and the sheer number turns out to be a massive challenge. Here are a few valuable skills that are going to be in demand in 2019.

Soft Skills 

• Communication

Excellent communication skills are perhaps the strongest soft skill that any professional can possess as they enable us to understand, share and convey ideas within teams and to customers.

• Creativity

Even though robots are poised to take over workplaces with automation, creativity still runs high on the employers’ wish list as this is a skill that brings a valuable perspective to problem-solving. 

• Adaptability

Adaptability is another key soft skill to possess as it keeps us capable of being aligned with the ever-changing technologies and organizational scenarios.

• Time Management

Mastering time management has always been a desirable skill and continues to be the same in the year ahead as it ensures productivity and completion of tasks within timelines. 

• Collaboration

As teams become bigger and projects become more complex, it is hard to imagine survival and growth in the professional domain without the ability to work collaboratively. 

Hard Skills 

With digital experiences becoming the backbone of businesses, there are some technical skills that the workforce needs to possess to deliver the right kind of services. These are referred to as hard skills and the following will be in high demand in the year ahead.

• Artificial Intelligence

As a majority of organisational processes and systems of the future will rely on AI, understanding the possibility of AI in your specific sector and being able to use that to add value to your business & customer is a skill that cannot be overlooked today.

• Customer Experience 

The advent of digital and accessibility to information has made the customer more powerful, marketing today is driven based on customer demand. Understanding what your customer wants and needs and segmenting the user base to target their key pain points is what will make brands stand out in 2019.

• Data Privacy & Security 

The growing emphasis on data privacy and the introduction of regulatory compliances have made data security an in-demand skill in 2019.

• Data Analytics

Businesses are becoming data driven and the trend is accompanied by an increase in demand of professionals who are capable of analyzing data to gather rich insights for better decisions. After all, what good is having tons of data if the business can’t gather insights and take actions driven from that insight?

• UX Design 

Even though IT remains the center point, UX design is still an in-demand creative-technical skill, as it enables businesses to create compelling user journeys that drive conversions.

Despite ample opportunities for professional growth in 2019, having the right skills matters a lot. Adding these high-demand skills to your portfolio can take your profile to the next level. 

Archana Dhankar is Head of Marketing at Aspire. Find out more here: https://www.weareaspire.com