Many of the larger training and assessment providers have pulled together year end data, and published their predictions for 2019.

Many have been highlighting what key skills they feel are the key skills the economy needs, and/or organizations are looking for as they hire and train their staff.

Predictably, there is a lot of reference to Al, and technical skills are still very high on the lists.

But it may surprise you to see how many predict that “soft skills” – or as we refer to them at WATMEC “people skills” – will set both the staff member and organization apart from competition.

LinkedIn completed a very extensive survey, and published a recap of their findings in “The Most In-Demand Hard and Soft Skills of 2019” a few weeks ago. Among the thousands of skills out there, they identified 30 that are important for all organizations wishing to grow.

They reported that 57% of leaders say soft skills are more important than hard skills, and that the five most in-demand soft skills are:

  • 1. Creativity
  • 2. Persuasion
  • 3. Collaboration
  • 4. Adaptability
  • 5. Time Management

Just missing the top five was People Management, which included motivating and engaging people, managing team conflict, and leading with purpose. Further, when mentioning Communication they expect leaders to develop cross-culture intelligence.

WATMEC has been the go-to choice for “People Skills” training for the past 45 years. And we continue to change with the industry – adapting to, and pushing for advancements in learning for many of these skills that are in demand today.

I invite you to explore our website and see what e-learning courses or facilitated sessions you could lead to successful business results in your organization.

About Dale

Dale Wilcox is co-owner of WATMEC. Dale is a respected board member, former volunteer of the year, and inaugural Chair of the Canadian Society for Training and Development.