New research from Pearson, a world leading learning company, finds that despite new technologies transforming the world of work, the top five most in demand skills in Australia today are human skills, with the trend set to continue through at least 2026.
Using an analysis of half a million recent Australian job ads, Pearson’s Skills Outlook identifies today’s new ‘power skills’ – those capabilities now powering the world’s economy and individual careers. The analysis shows that while technical capabilities remain vitally important for many roles, employers highly prize human skills such as collaboration, communication and leadership.
Pearson’s Skills Outlook shows that job ads in 2022 were dominated by five human skills: communication, attention to detail, customer service, leadership and teamwork.
Looking ahead to 2026, Pearson’s AI-based modelling suggests that the top five power skills that will be most in-demand to meet economic need are also human skills: collaboration, customer focus, personal learning and mastery, achievement focus, and cultural and social intelligence
Dr Richard George, Vice President, Workforce Skills at Pearson, said: “In Australia we’re seeing businesses and governments alike scramble to fill the 1.2 million tech jobs that will be needed by 2030. It is alarming to see that the most pressing skills needed in the Australian workforce today and in the future are in fact human skills.”
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