O c t o b e r 2 The Future of Jobs

Share of companies surveyed (%)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
55.4
46.7
41.4
38.9
33
32.3
26.3
17.9
5.3
Since its 2016 edition, this report has tracked 
the cross-functional skills which are in increasing 
demand. Figure 27 shows the top skills and skill 
groups which employers see as rising in prominence 
in the lead up to 2025. These include groups such 
as critical thinking and analysis as well as problem-
solving, which have stayed at the top of the agenda 
with year-on-year consistency. Newly emerging this 
year are skills in self-management such as active 
learning, resilience, stress tolerance and flexibility. 
In addition, the data available through metrics 
partnerships with LinkedIn and Coursera allow us 
to track with unprecedented granularity the types of 
specialized skills needed for the jobs of tomorrow. 
Figure 28 demonstrates the set of skills which are 
in demand across multiple emerging professions. 
Among these ‘cross-cutting’ skills are specialized 
skills in Product Marketing, Digital Marketing and 
Human Computer Interaction. 
This report reveals in further granular detail the types 
of insights that can guide job transitions through to 
appropriate reskilling and upskilling. Figures 29 and 
30 demonstrate those metrics. Figure 29 presents the 
set of high-growth, emerging roles that are currently 
covered by the Data and AI job cluster, and the typical 
skills gap between source and destination professions 
when workers have moved into those roles over the 
past five years. Figure 30 presents the typical learning 
curriculum of Coursera learners who are targeting a 
transition into Data and AI and the distance from the 
optimal level of mastery in the relevant job cluster, 
and quantifies the days of learning needed for the 
average worker to gain that level of mastery. Figures 
29 and 30 together demonstrate that it is common 
for individuals moving into Data and AI to lack key 
data science skills—but that individuals seeking to 
transition into such roles will be able to work towards 
the right skill set through mastery of skills such as 
statistical programming within a recommended time 
frame, in this case, 76 days of learning.

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The Future of Jobs
36
Perceived skills and skills groups with growing demand by 2025, by share of companies surveyed
F I G U R E 2 7
A. Relative importance of different skill groups
0
20
40
60
80
100
Critical thinking and analysis
Problem-solving
Self-management
Working with people
Management and communication of activities
Technology use and development
Core literacies
Physical abilities