The top 10 skills that will dominate the job market
Over the last three years, HR terminology has changed more than in the previous ten years: skill gaps, reskilling, talent shortages, AI readiness. All concepts that lead back to the same question: what skills are really needed today to remain competitive?
Until a few years ago, the answer was almost always technical: knowledge of specific tools, languages, and methodologies was the main lever for selection and development. Digital acceleration, the increasing complexity of roles, and the spread of AI have overturned priorities. Companies have realized that specialization alone is not enough: they need people who can adapt, collaborate, communicate, make decisions, and learn quickly.
The data confirms that demand is urgent. According to research published on ResearchGate based on the analysis of thousands of job advertisements and interviews with employers, approximately 74% of recruiters prefer candidates with soft skills over those with only technical skills.
Similarly, according to Allwork, 60% of European companies say that "human" skills (communication, adaptability, decision making) have become more important than they were five years ago.
The fundamental consideration is that it is no longer enough to evaluate what a person can do today, but what they will be able to do tomorrow.
Let's take a look at the top 10 skills that are driving the job market.
Hard skills, soft skills, and power skills: what really changes today
Thanks to digital innovation and the radical changes of recent years, the way HR and companies talk about skills has also changed. Until recently, the distinction between "hard and soft skills" seemed sufficient; today, it is no longer enough.
We know that AI-driven transformation, new organizational models, and increasingly hybrid roles require a much more precise understanding of skills. Specifically, we can distinguish between:
- hard skills: these are the technical and specific skills required for a role: programming languages, digital tools, operating procedures, professional methodologies. They can be measured objectively and are learned through study or formal training;
- Soft skills: these are cross-cutting skills related to behavior, relationships, and managing complex situations: communication, leadership, problem solving, critical thinking, stress management. Classic lists of soft skills also include collaboration, empathy, conflict management, and decision-making. These skills are more difficult to measure without structured tools. If you want to learn more about the difference between hard and soft skills, read this guide.
- Power skills: this term was introduced and popularized by LinkedIn and other authoritative sources to refer to the transferable skills that today have a direct and measurable impact on performance. In a sense, it is a new category that is emerging from that of soft skills: many suggest that they should be distinguished as they are skills that drive productivity, collaboration, and adaptability. Examples of power skills include effective communication, adaptability, leadership, analytical thinking, and continuous learning.
Why are power skills dominating?
There are three aspects in particular that explain why these skills are becoming the main currency of modern work:
- are the most difficult to automate: power skills are areas in which AI cannot replace humans;
- They are transferable between roles and sectors: hard skills change rapidly (just think of how quickly digital skills evolve). Power skills, on the other hand, remain valid regardless of the current tool or technology.
- determine performance, especially in complex roles: when teams are cross-functional and processes change frequently, what makes the difference is not just "knowing how to do," but "knowing how to operate in dynamic contexts": making decisions, collaborating, managing ambiguity, learning quickly. These are precisely the dimensions that constitute power skills.
Let's now move on to the top 10 skills most sought after and valued in the world of work, and why they have such a big impact.
1. Critical thinking
Critical thinking is the ability to analyze information, evaluate alternatives, recognize biases, and make evidence-based decisions.
From an HR perspective, it is undoubtedly one of the most relevant soft skills or power skills because it predicts reliability, decision-making autonomy, and the ability to operate in complex contexts.
This skill is increasingly in demand because roles are less procedural and more problem-solving oriented, and AI reduces operational work, shifting human value to advanced cognitive abilities.
HOW TO RECOGNIZE IT IN A CANDIDATE?
- asks questions for clarification: for example, asks "why," "how," "what happens if." The person you are interacting with does not passively accept information;
- argue logically, not with opinions: during the interview, clearly explain your reasoning, not just your conclusions;
- Weigh the pros and cons of a choice: when describing a work experience, highlight alternatives, trade-offs, risks, and mitigations.
2. Problem solving
Until a few years ago, we relegated problem solving to the simple ability to "find solutions." Today, it means knowing how to break down a complex problem, analyze the real causes (not just the symptoms), involve the right people, and choose the most effective option in terms of timing, impact, and risks.
We can consider it a critical skill because it influences employee autonomy, team efficiency, and the company's ability to respond to change.
HOW TO RECOGNIZE IT IN A CANDIDATE?
- explains complex problems "step by step": for example, when talking about his experiences, he mentions analyses, hypotheses, decisions, tests, and corrections. These are all observations that we can consider signs of method rather than improvisation;
- explains the reasons behind his choices: he doesn't just say what he did, but why he did it that way;
- shows awareness of trade-offs: can explain what worked, what didn't, and what they would do differently.
3. Effective communication (written, oral, and digital)
Communication is a soft skill or power skill that determines the speed of teams, the quality of decisions, and even the internal climate.
With hybrid, asynchronous meetings, shared documentation, and AI multiplying information flows, knowing how to communicate means above all making other people's work easier.
When discussing effective communication, we can look at it from three different perspectives:
- written communication: emails, reports, messages, AI prompts, documents;
- oral communication: meetings, presentations, handling objections;
- Digital communication: ability to adapt tone, conciseness, and clarity to different channels (Slack, Teams, Notion, etc.).
HOW TO RECOGNIZE IT IN A CANDIDATE?
- summarizes naturally: when answering questions, he starts with the key point, then adds context. He doesn't get lost in details or digress: his communication is structured;
- knows how to adapt their language to their audience: if you ask them to explain a technical project, they know how to do so first "in simple terms," then "in more detail," and then "from a manager's point of view." Those who know how to change the level of detail have real communicative flexibility;
- asks clarifying questions before responding: he doesn't jump in at the deep end. First he asks: "To help me understand better: which part would you like to explore further?"
4. Interdisciplinary collaboration
Considering that the job market has evolved towards hybrid teams, cross-functional projects, and increasingly less "siloed" roles, interdisciplinary collaboration has become one of the most predictive skills for performance.
Professionals with this skill are able to translate technical concepts for non-technical audiences and co-create solutions by bringing together different points of view without losing sight of the common goal.
HOW TO RECOGNIZE IT IN A CANDIDATE?
- describes experiences in which he worked in very different roles: he explains how he managed communication, priorities, deadlines, and differences in technical language;
- can explain their work in a way that is understandable to those outside the industry: if they can do this in an interview, it is very likely that they can also do so in their daily work;
- provides examples of problems solved thanks to the integration of different skills: those who know how to navigate these spaces are highly adaptable and scalable in modern teams.
5. Adaptive leadership (not just for managers)
Adaptive leadership is one of the skills that is rapidly growing in importance in HR contexts.
According to the World Economic Forum'sFuture of Jobs Report 2025, skills related to "leadership and social influence"are among the top five growing skills, driven by technological transformation and the increasing complexity of modern work.
This form of leadership does not coincide with a hierarchical role: it is a cross-functional skill, useful at all levels of the organization.
HOW TO RECOGNIZE IT IN A CANDIDATE?
- Provide concrete examples of change management: during a BEI interview, describe real-life situations in which you guided others through uncertain times (new processes, role changes, priority changes).
- maintains clarity and structure of thought under pressure: a leader does not improvise: they clarify, organize, and facilitate;
- demonstrates the ability to influence without formal authority: does not say "I decided," but rather "I facilitated," "I built consensus," "I involved..."
6. Emotional intelligence
When it comes to emotional intelligence in HR, the most authoritative reference remains the work of Daniel Goleman, who defines it as a set of five dimensions:
- Self-awareness
- Self-regulation
- Motivation
- Empathy
- Social skills
Based on this definition, it is easier to translate these elements into observable behaviors: how a person behaves under stress, how they listen, how they regulate their reactions, how they manage complex relationships.
Emotional intelligence is so important that it is a determining factor in performance. According to a TalentSmartEQ study conducted on over 1 million workers, 90% of top performers have high levels of emotional intelligence, while it is a trait that is lacking in low performers.
HOW TO RECOGNIZE IT IN A CANDIDATE?
- responds consciously, not automatically: in interviews, describes critical situations without shifting responsibility onto others;
- Use language that integrates emotions and facts: not only what happened, but how it affected the people involved and what decisions resulted from it.
- is able to maintain relational stability under pressure: during role plays or situational questions, they do not get irritated, lose their balance, or lose focus. They show emotional control and the ability to "hold their ground" even in complex conversations.
7. Priority and workload management
Priority management has become a critical cognitive skill. The reason is obvious: we are "swamped" by dozens of stimuli, both at work and during our free time. Our brains find it harder to stay focused on individual tasks because we are constantly distracted by notifications, requests, and phone calls.
So much so that, according to Anatomy of Work by Asana, we spend 62% of our time managing mundane and repetitive tasks, when we could be focusing our potential on truly priority issues.
Knowing how to set priorities does not mean "doing more," but doing what matters and avoiding distraction.
HOW TO RECOGNIZE IT IN A CANDIDATE?
- can distinguish between "urgent" and "strategic": in practical cases, describes clear criteria for identifying priority activities (impact, dependencies, risk, deadlines);
- demonstrates the ability to renegotiate workload: is able to ask for clarification, realign expectations, or redefine scope when priorities change;
- Use methods and tools: talk spontaneously about concrete systems (think of concepts such as Kanban, time blocking, Eisenhower matrix, roadmap) and not just "personal organization."
8. AI literacy & prompting
Until two years ago, no HR manager would ask a candidate if they "knew how to communicate with AI."
Today, AI literacy, i.e., the ability to understand, use, and evaluate artificial intelligence tools, has become a cross-functional hard skill required in almost all business functions.
We know that professionals who are able to use AI are faster, more autonomous, and capable of reducing (if not eliminating) most repetitive tasks. For this reason, the use of AI is now essential, and it is important to be able to recognize and evaluate this skill in a potential employee.
HOW TO RECOGNIZE IT IN A CANDIDATE?
- knows the basics of AI models: can explain what training, bias, hallucination, and context are, and why critical verification of results is necessary;
- produces structured and replicable prompts: it describes methods (e.g., role → objective → constraints → expected output) and does not rely on "random chat";
- knows how to evaluate the quality of the output: does not passively accept the AI's output. On the contrary, compares, corrects, asks for feedback, integrates real data.
9. Resilience and stress management
If there is one skill that in recent years has ceased to be "nice to have" and has become a true predictor of performance, it is resilience.
In this case, we are not talking (only) about the ability to "resist stress," but to transform it into effective adaptation, clear decisions, and operational continuity even in unstable contexts.
According tothe American Psychological Association (APA), people who are able to activate structured coping strategies maintain higher levels of performance and show fewer signs of burnout during periods of intense pressure.
From an HR perspective, having candidates with this skill is essential, because these people are better at managing emergencies and improving collaboration within the team.
When combined with soft skills such as emotional intelligence and time management, it becomes a skill that improves the entire work cycle.
HOW TO RECOGNIZE IT IN A CANDIDATE?
- demonstrates the ability to recover quickly after an unexpected event: can explain how they quickly get back on track after a setback;
- can describe personal signs of stress and how they monitor them: a truly resilient candidate is aware of their internal indicators (physical, emotional, cognitive) and mentions them spontaneously: "I realize I'm becoming overwhelmed when... and in those cases I do...";
- demonstrates the ability to ask for support assertively: those who are truly resilient know how to activate the right resources (colleagues, managers, tools) before reaching breaking point. They talk about it naturally and without perceiving it as a sign of weakness.
10. Creativity applied to real-world problems
Some call it lateral thinking, others original thinking, and still others problem reframing. Beyond labels, creativity applied to real problems is one of the most valuable power skills to recognize in a candidate.
For HR, having people with this skill on the team means finding alternatives when budgets, time, or resources are limited, while also generating useful ideas for improving processes, onboarding, customer journeys, and internal workflows.
HOW TO RECOGNIZE IT IN A CANDIDATE?
- proposes original solutions that remain practical, not fanciful: when describing a project, he explains how he transformed an intuition into a concrete, measurable, and implemented solution;
- is able to reformulate the problem before even looking for the solution: a person with applied creativity tends to ask questions, dismantle the initial assumption, and explore blind spots. You notice this because they say things like: "The real problem wasn't X, but Y";
- shows examples of rapid experimentation ("test to learn"): it talks about prototypes, tests, quick trials, a sign that it is not afraid of mistakes, but uses small experiments to find the most effective way forward.
How Skillvue helps HR measure and develop the skills that really matter
For HR, it is not enough to know which skills will be most in demand: an objective, rapid, and scalable way of measuring them is needed.
Skillvue was created with a specific goal in mind: to make skills assessment scientific, reliable, and applicable on a large scale, even when it comes to complex skills such as emotional intelligence, adaptive leadership, creativity, or collaboration skills.
How does it do that, specifically?
- Psychometric assessments + AI: Skill Assessments combine advanced psychometric models with state-of-the-art AI algorithms, designed to reduce bias and extract real behavioral evidence, not subjective impressions.
- measurement of soft, hard, and power skills: over 150 skill tests covering hard skills, soft skills, transversal skills, and much more, allowing you to measure all the skills in this guide easily and immediately;
- Skills mapping and immediate gap analysis: each result is translated into a clear profile, with indications of proficiency level, strengths, areas for development, and practical suggestions for training, onboarding, and talent development.
If you want to objectively assess the skills that will dominate the job market in the coming years, Skillvue is the partner that allows you to do so reliably and scalably.
Would you like to see how a Skill Assessment works?
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