The Top Must-Have Skills of the Future You Need to Learn Today

The working world is in a constant state of change. Adapting to the most in-demand job skills of the future is vital if you want to continuously succeed in or advance your career. 

However, a lot has changed in the past few years. For one, the world is still under a pandemic. Alongside the continuous evolution of technology, it's no wonder half of the workforce must reskill in the next five years, according to the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Future of Jobs Report 2020. 

Technologies and developments in the different industries emerge one after the other, so it's natural for the workforce to improve along with them. However, the economic "double-disruption" due to the pandemic and technology could mean in-demand skills across jobs would continue to change over the next few years, and skills gaps would be high.

You'd be wise to empower yourself with the necessary skills to go with the tide. Interested to know what those are? The infographic below details the must-have job skills of the future, technical and soft skills examples employers are looking for from jobseekers and employees, and how you can advance your career with them.

The State of Upskilling and Reskilling

According to the WEF report, by 2025, 85 million jobs may be displaced because of the shift in the division of labour between humans, machines, and algorithms, but 97 million may also emerge from it.

The combination of COVID-19 and technological advancements accelerated the trend of reskilling. Some employees were lucky enough that their employers provided the education they needed, including online. In fact, online government programmes saw a ninefold enrolment increase between April to June 2020. However, it's worth noting that individuals need time and funding to pursue new learning opportunities.

Since 2016, critical thinking and problem-solving have been the top examples of technical skills employers believe will grow in prominence and, thus, employees must learn. But soft skills examples like self-management and people skills are now equally vital.

What is nice about these standards is that technical and soft skills alike are given due credit. The two must always go hand in hand to future-proof your place in the job market. It's not enough that you have the technical know-how to succeed in your chosen field. Your attitude, especially towards other people, plays an integral role in determining your prospects for employment.

In Singapore, these three current economic pillars also drive the adoption of critical core skills. 

1. Digital Economy

This refers to a marketplace "defined, organised, enabled and facilitated by digital technologies." This pillar is driven by the need for organisations to have both online and offline presence.

Read: The most in-demand tech jobs in Singapore

2. Green Economy

The United Nations describes the Green Economy as "low-carbon, resource-efficient, and socially inclusive." This means living, working, and growing without compromising the environment and limited sustainable resources. 

3. Care Economy

The Care Economy comprises professionals who nurture and train people in sectors like healthcare, wellness, community care, early childhood, general education, and training and adult education. It became a rapidly-expanding sector partly due to COVID-19 fast-tracking the need for a strong care ecosystem. 

Must-Have Job Skills of the Future

Even though different terms were used, the must-need technical and soft skills of the future—or critical core skills—to master as per WEF and SkillsFuture SG similarly fall under four umbrellas.

Technical Skills

1. Problem-solving

Tasks that require problem-solving skills require your knowledge and looking at facts to answer issues. You may utilise machine learning and artificial intelligence to simplify problem-solving and data analysis. But if you want the ability to look at data in more ways than one to come up with innovative solutions, you should practise creativity.

Problem-solving encompasses the following skills: 

• Analytical thinking and innovation
• Critical thinking and analysis
• Creativity, originality, and initiative
• Reasoning and ideation
• Decision making
• Sense-making
• Transdisciplinary thinking

2. Technology use 

Knowing how to utilise technology is non-negotiable at this age. Digital literacy is relevant not just to workers in IT or other sectors that regularly use devices, machines, or equipment. You need to be fluent in the latest and best technologies in your industry to help innovate your company. 

Here are specific examples of technical skills under technology use: 

• Digital fluency
• Technology use, monitoring, and control
• Technology design and programming
• Troubleshooting and user experience
• Systems analysis and evaluation

Soft Skills

1. Self-management

Before you can learn how to work effectively—perhaps as a leader—with your team, you must first reflect on your strengths and weaknesses. What do you need to improve, and what else can you learn? This doesn't just involve the skills relevant to work. Understand what influences you to become a better person or employee, including what demoralises you.

These soft skills examples can help with self-management:

• Active learning
• Resilience or stress tolerance
• Flexibility
• Global perspective
• Emotional intelligence

2. People skills 

With the recent emphasis on technology, it's easy to overlook interpersonal skills that actually play a huge role in the workplace. Whether it's working with colleagues or clients, communication skills should never be underestimated. It leads to strong relationships, high morale, and a better understanding of each person's needs—all of which can help achieve goals. 

Of course, when communication within the organisation is effective, individuals and teams can better collaborate and learn from each other.

Here are the soft skills you need to improve:

• Leadership and social influence
• Building inclusivity
• Collaboration
• Communication
• Customer orientation
• Developing people
• Persuasion and negotiation

How to Achieve Your Next Job Level

Ready to take your career to new heights? SkillsFuture SG suggests investing in your skills development with these steps.

Know your skills stock

Which skills do you already possess? What are you an expert in? You can base the assessment on the skills mentioned in this infographic, then compare them against what you have. From there, you can determine the skills gap and which courses you can invest in. 

Express your intentions to learn with your manager

During regular check-ins with your manager or team lead, bring up your plan to upskill or reskill. It's also a chance to know which skills your employer still needs and you can consider learning so you can secure their support. 

Sign up for courses

Once you have your manager's permission, research the institutions or websites that offer the classes or courses for the skills you want to learn. Check all available avenues based on your budget if you have to pay for it, but know there are free courses. If your company is already doing in-house training for those, you can also take advantage of it. 

Create a plan and put it into action

Outline how you can realistically complete your training, the timeline, and the specific results you want to achieve. Then, carry it out—but don't forget to have fun along the way. Don't be afraid to ask for help, either.

Use what you've learnt at work

Being attentive during the training or seminar is good, but the real test of how well you understand what you learnt is if you can apply them at work successfully. Put the skills to work and continue practising them to maintain proficiency.

Adapt by regularly looking at trends 

As already mentioned, work is ever-changing. To know if your skills are still up-to-date, track the trends in your industry regularly. You can do this by subscribing to newsletters, turning on website update notifications from institutions relevant to your industry, or hearing what professionals and notable figures have to say. Adapt and continue learning so you can stay competitive. 

The Future of Work is Here

Being a flexible worker who recognises changing times and adapts to trends can help maintain your employability. With new economies emerging, there are opportunities for you to thrive, but only if you are empowered enough to take charge of your development. Enrich yourself and learn these skills of the future through formal training and actual application. 

Know how competitive you are with your current skill set and what else you can improve on by visiting our Career Tools page. For more tips from JobStreet, download our app on Google Play and the App Store for easier access.