We recently highlighted the top jobs in 2018 that dominated the job market and appeared most in job boards. These jobs represented positions and roles that many companies across different industries were looking for all year round.
This article is a prediction, based on data, of the hard and soft skills that will be in high demand in 2019. Trends and changes in the job market across different industries contribute to the demand of different skills. You will notice that in the middle and towards the end of 2018 certain roles requiring certain skills became suddenly rampant and the urgency seemed to be on an all-time high. This trend is likely to persist across the better part of 2019.
This is not to say that other hard and soft skills that have always had a relatively high demand in the job market will suddenly disappear. The demand for the skills we are talking about is a trend that is fresh and likely here to stay. So, yes, even though Accounting skills will still be in high demand in 2019, other skills that used to take the back burner will now share in the limelight too. Below are the hard and soft skills likely to be in high demand in 2019.
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Hard Skills in High Demand in 2019
To recap what hard skills are, they are the kind of skills that are trainable abilities that are taught, examined and measured. They are usually standard, are taught in school or learnt online, and have a recognizable measure of competence to fit a particular role or industry. E.g. typing, accounting, software proficiency etc. You either have a certain hard skill or you don’t.
Below are some of the hard skills you should expect to see many job opportunities about;
- Artificial Intelligence
- UX Design
- Mobile Application Development
- Sales Leadership
- Social Media Marketing
- Business & Market Analysis
- People and Talent Management
- Digital Marketing
- Competitive Strategies
- Customer Management Systems
- Data Science
- Corporate Communications
- Software Testing
- Analytical Reasoning
- Graphic Design
Soft Skills in High Demand in 2019
Soft skills are the not-so-tangible skills that are bit more hard to quantify. They include qualities like personality types, social skills, etiquette, listening skills, emotional intelligence among others.
While hard skills are about the ‘what to be done’, soft skills have to do with the ‘how it is done’. Undoubtedly, how things are done will make a whole lot of difference when it comes to overall organizational performance, team motivation and team spirit as well as the company culture. These are aspects that are critical to companies as they move to create more ‘human’ work places. Good talent is also attracted to workplaces that value human interaction, ingenuity and where fresh ideas abound.
Below are the soft skills likely to be high in demand in 2019;
- Creativity
- Leadership
- Persuasion
- Motivation
- Collaboration
- Work Ethic
- Adaptability
- Team work
- Time Management
- Interpersonal Skills
How to Leverage on Your Skills
As the job market landscape keeps changing, there is a definite shift to skills associated with technology and brand storytelling. It is true that the only constant thing is change. This means as time goes by we are likely to see skills fall in and out of favor, while others maintain a steady demand; specially those in conventional industries like medicine.
So take advantage of this knowledge and see how you can improve your chances of landing a new job by acquiring a new skill in the new year. Also, list your skills on your CV in a clear and simple format.
