LinkedIn Australia has released its first-ever Skills on the Rise report, its ranking of the fastest-growing skills in Australia that professionals should be investing in to get ahead in their careers.
The research has found that AI Literacy leads among the 15 fast-growing skills as more companies are looking for professionals with the ability to understand and utilise tools harnessing AI technology for business purposes.
Related to AI Literacy, proficiency in Large Language Models (LLM) is also a highly sought after skill. With generative AI taking hold in the workplace, the report noted that there is an increased demand for professionals (especially software engineers and data scientists) who can build and/or work with LLMs and other generative AI systems.
Demand for people with statistical data analysis skills are also on the rise as businesses need people to interpret and analyse statistical data in an environment increasingly relying on data-driven decisions.
Many businesses are also keen on identifying and nurturing new, potential customers for their growth and sustainability, which explains and increased demand for lead generation skills, especially among those who are tasked with business development and marketing operations.
And wiith retail and hospitality industries continuing to evolve, businesses in these sectors are seeking people (especially customer-facing staff) with proficiency in modern point of sales (POS) systems for efficient operations and improved customer experiences.
Also included in the inaugural LinkedIn Skills on the Rise report are the following hard and soft skills:
- Communication
- Adaptability
- Strategic thinking
- Customer service management
- Market analysis
- Regulatory compliance
- Conflict resolution
- Budget management
According to LinkedIn, it ranked these skills based on three pillars: skill acquisition (the rate at which members are adding new skills to their profile); hiring success (the share of a skill possessed by members who have been hired in the past year; and emerging demand (the increased presence of a given skill in paid job postings). Growth rates for all metrics are measured by comparing LinkedIn data from January 1 to December 31, 2024 to the same period in the previous year (January 1 to December 31, 2023).
