In 2022, jobs will be in high demand for creative and innovative thinkers, independent workers, and skilled professionals. The future of work is flexible and lifelong learning is a must. Explore the skills of the future workforce that will be needed now and in the future to succeed.

The importance of learning new skills for career development in 2022 and beyond

There has been a lot of talk about what skills will be needed for the future workforce. This is an important topic that companies are discussing to survive the upcoming changes in the way things are done. As an employee or worker, it’s vital you know what skills are needed to secure your job prospects in the future.

The three most valued personal skills according to experts are communication, creativity, and critical thinking.

When it comes to communication, you have to be able to speak, write, listen and understand the different languages of the world.

Creativity is equally important when it comes to problem-solving or coming up with ideas that are original or inventive. 

And when it comes to critical thinking, you have to be able to examine all aspects of a given subject before making a decision.

Combined together these three skills will help people succeed in any career path they choose.  People who have these skills are more likely to have a competitive edge over others in their field. These three skills can come in handy no matter what industry you work in or what company you work for.

What are the skills of the future workforce?

But what about technical skills?  It’s no secret we are becoming more dependent on technology and so skills in this area can ensure job security now and in the future.  In the new digital economy, it is becoming increasingly important to have a unique digital skill or a digital aptitude. 

As new technologies emerge, these skills will become even more important.  It is not just a matter of learning a new skill or software, it's an understanding of how technology can be used to achieve goals and develop the human potential that will help them succeed in this era of technological advancements.

Digital skills that are becoming an essential skill for the future workforce to be competitive in the job market include coding, design, building websites and apps, data analysis, business analytics and marketing.

Here are some examples of skills and jobs that will be more in demand in the future:

• Cyber security

Cyber attacks are increasing which means there is currently a gap in the market for skilled cyber security professionals and demand for such roles will inevitably increase. The salaries aren’t half bad either.  Those with a few years experience can currently expect a cyber security salary of around £50,000.  

Many courses are hard to access due to their high price points.  However, TryHackMe cyber security course can equip users, from beginners to advanced, with the necessary cyber security training to upskill without these high prices.  At the time of writing, 80% of their learning material is free, making cyber security training accessible to more people.

Their technology focuses on the practical side of cyber security through gamified learning and real-world simulations, rather than just theory, so users can apply their knowledge in a hands-on learning environment. 

If you love working with computers and code then sharpening up or even starting to learn your cyber security skills could be a great career prospect for you in the future.  As StartUp World predict: “the cyber security industry is seeing a phenomenal skills workforce gap. Millions of unfilled jobs are expected by 2025, where there simply isn’t a trained enough workforce to keep up with demand.” which could mean salaries become even more lucrative to those with the right skillset. 

• Digital marketing

The future of digital marketing is clouded with endless possibilities. Digital marketing is quickly becoming the most important part of any business. The industry is growing so fast, and it's continuously creating new opportunities for digital marketers. And learning about these new opportunities will be crucial to the future of any marketer's career.

The current era of marketing has been dominated by digital channels like social media, email marketing and search engine optimization (SEO). The world is becoming increasingly connected, and it's difficult to say what changes we can expect next in the world of marketing.

For now, aspirin digital marketers should be proficient in social media management, content marketing, and SEO campaigns if they want to land their dream job. They should be able to market more efficiently utilising social media, digital ads, hiring influencers and utilising the SEO services of bloggers.

It is helpful for those aspiring to take up a career in this field to understand how they can become a digital marketer and how they can use these skills to succeed in their careers. The prerequisite for this job is having a bachelor’s degree in marketing, management, business administration, public relations or related subjects. There are also many online courses and certifications in the field of digital marketing. This way it is possible to learn and progress in this field without needing to be employed at an organisation already in this domain.

In order to get a job as a digital marketer, you have to have excellent communication skills. You also need to have strong analytical skills and an understanding of how people interact with brands on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etcetera.

At the time of writing, the average salary for a digital marketer was £37,500 on the salary checker at Total Jobs, with many companies paying far above this. 

• Coding

Coding skills are now needed in every sector of the economy, from healthcare to law and financial services, from agriculture to manufacturing. They are necessary for the incredible number of job opportunities available for software developers, website designers, programmers and more.

Coding is a creative, interesting and intellectually stimulating profession. There are many ways to become a coder. It is mainly about learning the programming languages and computer science fundamentals. You do not need to go to college or university for this course, but it can be helpful if you want to get a better understanding of computer programming and the basics of coding. There are also many online coding courses to learn coding yourself at home.

Some of the popular languages which are used by coders and programmers are:

JavaScript: This language is specially developed for making web pages interactive. It is used in developing applications for browsers and other web-based equipment that needs to access data on the internet. Java is a popular programming language with a consistent and fast performance. It has been used widely because of its simplicity and portability.

Python: A general-purpose language that is known for being easy to understand without being too straightforward or limiting people's choices. It can be used for scripting lines of code as well as coding large pieces of software. Python is increasingly being used by coders and programmers, especially those who work on machine learning and data mining. It has a flexible syntax that makes it easy to read and write code. Python provides an interactive environment that allows programmers to test their codes without having to compile them first.

The C++ Programming Language: A fast, modern language that is mostly used by gamers, video game designers, coders who are involved in operating system development.

The languages are mostly defined by the types of languages they are used for. They are either an object-oriented programming language, a functional programming language or a scripting language. These three types of languages have different purposes and requirements for their use.

Once you have learned the basics of the language, it is important to practice your skills and build your portfolio with interesting projects that will help you stand out in the competitive industry.

According to Check-A-Salary the average computer programmer salary is £43,300 at the time of writing, with the max salaries reaching a whopping £107,900!

The importance of freelance working styles and adaptability 

The landscape of work is also changing, as well as the skills which will be required going forwards.  Freelancers are more in demand than ever as companies realise the benefits associated with hiring freelancers on a temporary basis in comparison to permanent staff.  

If you have a skill you can master, such as digital marketing, which can be offered on a freelance basis then it’s worth honing this skill and keeping your options open as we all know any employed job isn’t guaranteed forever.  

Many people nowadays choose to supplement their income with a side hustle, using their additional skills to earn extra income in their spare time, around family commitments and employed jobs.  

I think today the younger generation is all too aware of the risk of putting all their eggs in one basket when it comes to employment and they like to have a wide range of options and skills available for job security.  

This is very different to the traditional sense of working that their parents and grandparents experienced where many tended to get one employment and be employed for life, or at least work in one trade only for a lifetime.  

In recent years we’ve seen how trades go redundant and how whole industries are going to become so in the future, furthering the need for younger generations to acquire a range of skills and to keep up with the sometimes fast-paced workplace trends and changes.

The changes we have seen, continue to see and also inevitably predict for the future of the workplace, mean workers need to be creative, resourceful and adaptable or they’ll get left behind. 

Stay up to date with relevant skills and be adaptable for the future workforce

In the future, employees will need to combine skillsets like never before. It's not just about having one skill anymore. Employees will need to be agile and adaptable, skilled at learning quickly and working with others across different fields.

Many jobs now require skills that are not traditionally taught in schools or universities. So many of us are now finding ourselves in jobs where we don't have the right training or skillset for the work we're doing, but with these new requirements, more people are becoming educated on these new skill sets through online courses and other resources.

Whether you decide to set yourself up with freelance skills to take your self-employment to the next level, or new digital skills to make yourself more appealing to employers, this article will hopefully give you an insight into the skills of the future workforce to keep you on-trend and inspire you to keep learning so you don’t get left behind. 

 

 

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