Whenever there is change, there is opportunity. With report after report showing the world of work changing faster than ever today, it’s fair to assume there’s more opportunity than ever.
The challenge? It isn’t easy to know where that opportunity exists. If only some organization with the resources necessary to answer that question could release a roadmap…
Well, consider this is your roadmap. Using a combination of LinkedIn data and survey results, we determined both the soft and the hard skills companies need most. And then we provided LinkedIn Learning courses that teach those skills.
Enjoy. Learning these skills will help you stay ahead of change and make the most of all that opportunity in 2018.
The soft skills companies need most – and how to learn them
First, let’s start with the skills all professionals should learn, regardless of what they do. These are “soft” skills, although in practice they are anything but: 57 percent of leaders say soft skills are more important than hard skills.
So, what are the soft skills companies need most in 2018? To find out, we surveyed 2,000 business leaders and asked them the soft skills they’d most like to see their employees learn. Here’s what they said:
1. Leadership
Recommended Courses: Body Language for Leaders, Strategic Thinking, Leading Without Formal Authority
2. Communication
Recommended Courses: Communicating with Confidence, Influencing Others,Giving and Receiving Feedback
3. Collaboration
Recommended Courses: Effective Listening, Building Business Relationships,Finding Your Introvert/Extrovert Balance in the Workplace
4. Time Management
Recommended Courses: Managing Your Time, Creating Great Workplace Habits,Getting Things Done
The hard skills companies need most – and how to learn them
Next, it’s time to go to the hard skills companies need most. Using LinkedIn data from our 500+ million members, we identified the skills companies were working the hardest to fill. We coupled that with with related jobs, their average US salaries and courses that teach those skills (which are free to take for all of January 2018).
1. Cloud and Distributed Computing
Related Jobs: Platform Engineer ($120,000), Cloud Architect ($135,000)
Recommended Courses: Amazon Web Services: Storage and Data Management, Cloud Architecture: Advanced Concepts, Cloud Computing Career Paths and Certifications: First Steps
2. Statistical Analysis and Data Mining
Related Jobs: Business Analyst ($72,000), Data Analyst ($62,000), Statistician ($90,200)
Recommended Courses: The Essential Elements of Predictive Analytics and Data Mining, Data Science Foundations: Fundamentals, SQL Essential Training
3. Middleware and Integration Software
Related Jobs: IT Manager ($95,000), Systems Integration Engineer ($98,000)
Recommended Courses: ASP.NET Core: Middleware, Learn API Documentation with JSON and XML, JavaScript and JSON: Integration Techniques
4. Web Architecture and Development Framework
Related Jobs: Web developer ($65,000), Full Stack Web Developer ($77,000)
Recommended Courses: Building Angular and Node Apps with Authentication, Creating Your First RESTful Spring Boot Microservice with JPA, React: Replacing Legacy Projects
5. User Interface Design
Related Jobs: UX Designer ($85,000), Web Developer ($65,000), UI Designer ($72,000)
Recommended Courses: UX Foundations: Prototyping, Creating a Design System with Sketch, Planning a Career in User Experience
6. Software Revision Control Systems
Related Jobs: Web Developer ($65,000), Software Programmer ($64,000)
Recommended Courses: SVN for Java Developers, Git Essential Training, Learning Software Version Control
7. Data Presentation
Related Jobs: Graphic Designer ($45,000), Data Scientist ($113,000), Business Consultant ($83,000)
Recommended Courses: Learning Data Visualization, Data Visualization: Best Practices, Learning Graphic Design: Presentations
8. SEO/SEM Marketing
Related Jobs: Marketing Specialist ($49,000), Online Marketing Manager ($80,000), Advertising Manager ($61,200)
Recommended Courses: SEO Foundations, Introduction to PPC with Google AdWords and Bing Ads, Learning SEO Tools
9. Mobile Development
Related Jobs: Mobile Engineer ($95,000), Mobile Application Developer ($83,800)
Recommended Courses: Android Development Essential Training: Create Your First App, Advanced iOS App Development: Core Motion, Prototype a CRM Mobile Application with Framer
10. Network and Information Security
Related Jobs: Information Security Specialist ($96,000), Cyber Security Specialist ($92,500)
Recommended Courses: IT Security Foundations: Network Security, Data-Driven Network Security Essentials, Implementing an Information Security Program
11. Marketing Campaign Management
Related Jobs: Online Marketing Manager ($80,000), Digital Marketing Specialist ($52,000), Digital Marketing Manager ($77,000)
Recommended Courses: Create a Go-To-Market Plan, Building Your Marketing Technology Stack, Marketing Analytics: Segmentation and Testing
12. Data Engineering and Data Warehousing
Related Jobs: Software Engineer ($95,000), Database Developer ($85,000), Data Analyst ($62,000)
Recommended Courses: Data Science Foundations: Data Engineering, SQL Essential Training, Transitioning from Data Warehousing to Big Data
13. Storage Systems and Management
Related Jobs: Database Administrator ($91,000), System Administrator ($68,800)
Recommended Courses: Microsoft Azure: Design an Application Storage and Data Access Strategy, Google Drive Essential Training, Linux: Storage Systems
14. Electronic and Electrical Engineering
Related Jobs: Electrical Engineer ($81,000), Electronic Engineer ($88,400)
Recommended Courses: AutoCAD Electrical Essential Training, Learning MATLAB, Electronics Foundations: Semiconductor Devices
15. Algorithm Design
Related Jobs: Software Engineer ($95,000), Lead Software Engineer ($120,000), Lead Developer ($109,000)
Recommended Courses: Machine Learning & AI Foundations: Value Estimations, Machine Learning & AI Foundations: Decision Trees, Machine Learning & AI: Advanced Decision Trees
16. Perl/Python/Ruby
Related Jobs: Software Engineer ($95,000), Data Scientist ($113,000)
Recommended Courses: Learning the Python 3 Standard Library, Python Design Patterns, Python Projects
17. Shell Scripting Languages
Related Jobs: Linux System Administrator ($75,000), System Engineer ($90,000), Java Developer ($80,000)
Recommended Courses: Learning Linux Shell Scripting, Perl 5 Essential Training, Learning PowerShell 5
18. Mac, Linux and Unix Systems
Related Jobs: System Administrator ($68,800), Linux System Administrator ($75,000)
Recommended Courses: Learning Linux Command Line, Cert Prep: Red Hat Certified System Administrator (EX200), SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Essential Training
19. Java Development
Related Jobs: Java Developer ($80,000), Web Developer ($65,000)
Recommended Courses: Kotlin for Java Developers, JSON Processing with Java EE, Java 8 Essential Training
20. Business Intelligence
Related Jobs: Business Intelligence Analyst ($73,100), Forecast Analyst ($64,000)
Recommended Courses: Power BI Pro Essential Training, Balanced Scorecard and Key Performance Indicators, Financial Forecasting with Big Data
21. Software QA and User Testing
Related Jobs: User Experience Engineer ($85,000), Software Test Engineer ($80,000), Quality Assurance Engineer ($77,000)
Recommended Courses: Programming Foundations: Software Quality Assurance, Penetration Testing Essential Training, UX Foundations: Usability Testing
22. Virtualization
Related Jobs: Network Engineer ($82,000), Network Administrator ($65,000)
Recommended Courses: Learning VMware vSphere 6.5, VMware vSphere: Upgrade a Deployment to vSphere 6.5, Windows Server 2016: Configure Hyper-V
23. Automotive Services, Parts and Design
Related Jobs: Vehicle Engineer ($96,500), Industrial Designer ($63,600)
Recommended Courses: Learning CATIA v5, Alias Essential Training, Insights on Automotive Design with Veejay Gahir
24. Economics
Related Jobs: Business Development Manager ($99,000), Auditor ($56,000), Research Analyst ($56,400)
Recommended Courses: Managerial Economics, Applied Economic Forecasting with Big Data, Blockchain Basics
25. Database Management and Software
Related Jobs: Database Specialist ($53,000), Database Administrator ($91,000)
Recommended Courses: Database Foundations: Administration, Microsoft SQL Server 2016: Installation and Administration, Oracle 12c Database: Administration
Top Hard Skills Methodology
There are thousands of skills that members can add to their profiles, so we grouped these skills into several dozen categories. For example, skills like “Android” and “iOS” would fit into the “Mobile Development” category. Then we looked at all of the hiring and recruiting activity that happened on LinkedIn between Jan. 1 and Sept. 1, equaling billions of data points, and identified the skill categories that belonged to members who were more likely to start a new role within a company and receive interest from companies. Skill categories that did not meet a specific threshold for membership were excluded from our analysis. See last year’s list.