New year, new you: the most in-demand skills employers are looking for

Well, that escalated quickly. OpenAI released ChatGPT just over a year ago, and suddenly it feels like everyone is playing catchup. It’s too soon to tell exactly what effect generative AI will have on employment, but most experts agree we’re heading into a period of rapid and escalating workforce change.  

As businesses move towards in-house training and targeted hiring, it’s always good to sit down and analyse what skills will be most relevant over the next few years. Some of these will be familiar – cloud computing and data analytics don’t show any signs of slowing down – but the meteoric rise of AI has already shifted focus towards softer, more human skills.  

As Bernard Marr wrote in Forbes: 

So, what are the most in-demand skills for 2024? Let's take a look below:

Generative AI 

Let’s start with the elephant in the room. It’s been said before but – in the short term at least – you’re statistically unlikely to lose a job to AI. However, you might lose a job to another candidate who understands AI, and knows how to unlock its full potential. There are some great articles out there about the skills needed to survive in this new, AI-driven world. Data literacy, machine learning, coding, problem solving, and a creative approach to prompts will all serve you well. Tertiary institutions, like RMIT Online, are also offering dedicated short courses in AI and deep learning, to help get you up to speed. 

Creativity  

Can you learn to be more creative? Most studies agree that you can. So, how does this apply to business and commercial success? Well, creativity is basically the ability to take disparate, unrelated things and turn them into something new. It’s seeing opportunity where others see obstacles. Looking at things upside down and innovating to solve common problems. Some experts have concluded that creativity is the number one emerging business skill, since it can be applied to almost any role, any organisation, and has the potential to unlock unlimited value. If you want to improve your creativity in 2024, we recommend starting with a short course in Design Thinking.  

Sustainable business practices  

Every year, sustainably-marketed products take more and more market share. Sustainable businesses not only appeal to consumers, they’re becoming highly profitable too. So, if you want to make yourself more employable in 2024, having a solid understanding of sustainable business practices is a great way to go. Being able to spot opportunities for sustainable growth, unlocking value and pitching your ideas, showing leadership and communicating sustainability to the wider business – these are all valuable skills. Check out our sustainability and social impact courses for more information on how to drive change within your organisation.  

Data analysis 

One of the big mental shifts in business over the last 10 years has been the realisations that data science and analytics aren’t just the remit of your insights team. It doesn’t matter what department you work for, a solid understanding of data analysis will always look good on the resume. In fact, it’s increasingly seen as a must-have. Thankfully, there’s a huge range of data and analytics courses on offer these days. You can dip your toe in with Business Analytics, or explore an entire data-driven career path by learning SQL and Python.  

Cloud computing 

If you don’t have a solid understanding of AWS, Google Cloud Platform or Microsoft Azure, 2024 is a great time to upskill. The cloud computing market is expected to grow from $570 billion to almost $2.5 trillion by 2030, which means most organisations will require a working knowledge of the cloud. You don’t necessarily need to rush out and study JavaScript or DevOps; simply learning the CSP fundamentals is a good place to start. Other useful skills include Python, SQL, API integration and database management. RMIT Online also has more targeted courses for popular cloud service providers, like Amazon Web Services.  

Communication 

We can’t stress this one enough. As business reliance on data analytics grows, and organisations themselves become more complex, being able to translate insights and share them effectively is a hugely underrated skill. Communication goes all the way from Data Storytelling to stakeholder management and employee engagement. They’re all facets of the same skillset – an ability to take complex information, break it down, find the value, and then communicate that value to others in a way that generates results. For more information on this one, check out our Graduate Certificate in Digital Communication Strategy.