By Zac Rule, Vice President North America, Enterprise
I’m excited to introduce The Job Skills of 2023 report, which explores the fastest-growing digital and human skills on Coursera entering 2023. Of the more than 113 million total learners on the Coursera platform, this report specifically draws on data from Coursera’s 4 million enterprise learners across 3,000 businesses, 3,600 higher education institutions, and governments in over 100 countries. By identifying in-demand job skills, institutions can better equip their employees, citizens, and students with the knowledge needed to enter a competitive job market and advance their careers.
At a time when global macroeconomic challenges are intensifying—driven by international conflict, high inflation, and an uncertain economic outlook—nurturing skills development will be fundamental to strengthening the labor market. Global research from Deloitte found that skill-based organizations are 107% more likely to place talent effectively, 98% more likely to retain high-performers, 57% more likely to anticipate changes and respond effectively and efficiently.
From revealing the growing popularity of micro-credentials among both job seekers and employers to identifying how specific human and digital skills benefit learners, this report equips institutions with the insights to build skills-based learning strategies that address the needs of today’s global workforce.
Global job skills trends in the report include:
- The fastest-growing skills are digital skills. The top ten overall fastest-growing skills are digital skills. The ongoing evolution of technology means employers are regularly seeking new digital competencies from potential hires while also reskilling existing workers.
- The fastest-growing digital skills are changing more significantly than the fastest-growing human skills. The top ten digital skills vary significantly from last year—only two have carried over year-on-year: data visualization and user experience. The human skills in demand remain steadier, suggesting an evergreen demand for skills like management and communication.
- Management skills to guide teams through change are among the fastest growing. Managers have been under greater pressure since the pandemic and in a context of greater macroeconomic uncertainty. In response, organizations are recognizing the increasing importance of leadership and management skills necessary to effectively manage change at the individual, team, and organizational level.
- Skills centered on user experience are on the rise. With digitization across all industries accelerating, user experience skills are in high demand as consumers expect their needs to be met rapidly, effectively, and in a user-friendly way. Skills related to customer success tools and user experience design have seen increased interest.
- Skills that blend technical expertise and project management are new to the list this year. As organizations increase investments in digital skills, having skill sets that help organizations manage and support technical teams is becoming more important than ever to meet internal deadlines and objectives, ensure resources are allocated and managed wisely, and boost efficiency.
- Skills like data visualization and analysis are growing and can complement traditional human skills like people management and storytelling. As organizations seek to yield value from data-led approaches in teams from IT to HR, being able to understand and use data to communicate effectively is becoming a must-have skill—regardless of career path.
- Communicating with peers, customers, and prospects is key for hybrid work. Sharing information effectively is set to remain a vital skill for learners and organizations alike in 2023. These skills help organizations connect with customers, guide internal teams, and steer strategic discussions.
This is Coursera’s second annual Job Skills report and comes on the heels of recent research reports including the Global Skills Report, which benchmarks the skills proficiencies of distinct populations, and the From Higher Education to Employment report, which confirms that job skills are a top priority and that industry micro-credentials aligned to career outcomes are key to driving employability.
Interested in turning these insights into a skills development plan for your institution? Book a meeting with a Coursera team member today.