Emerging Skills Employers Will Demand in the Next 5–10 Years

Over the next five to 10 years into 2030 and beyond, the job market is poised to look drastically different than years past. Students and professionals who start building the right mix of professional skills now will be in a stronger position to grow their careers. 

Simply put, most employers are not impressed by technical know-how alone. Rather, seeking individuals who can effectively blend strong workplace skills — such as communication, adaptability, and emotional intelligence — with technical capabilities in areas like machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI). As new technologies reshape industries and redefine roles, the best skills to put on a resume will increasingly include both human-centered strengths and digital fluency. At the same time, in-demand leadership competencies are shifting toward those who can guide teams through constant change, make sense of data, and collaborate across disciplines. 

The following sections explore the core abilities that line up with emerging workforce trends, helping students understand which skills to focus on now so they can stay relevant and competitive in the years ahead.

How the Job Market Is Changing

The job market is shifting faster than ever, and keeping the same set of professional skills for an entire career is no longer realistic. Automation, artificial intelligence, and evolving workforce trends are changing what employers expect — which means both upskilling and reskilling are now essentials rather than nice-to-haves. 

Instead of hiring strictly for a fixed role, many organizations are looking for adaptable people who can grow into new responsibilities as technology and business needs change. That puts a premium on versatile workplace skills (like problem-solving, collaboration, and continuous learning) alongside technical abilities in areas like machine learning and data literacy. Students who treat skill-building as an ongoing process as opposed to a one-time effort will be better prepared to pivot as new opportunities and challenges emerge.

Top Emerging Workplace Skills Employers Will Demand

As employers rethink hiring, they’re focusing on a mix of technical and human-centered workplace skills that can keep pace with fast-changing roles. The top emerging skills span industries, from comfort with artificial intelligence tools to the kind of emotional intelligence that keeps teams functioning under pressure. These abilities are quickly becoming invaluable in one’s professional toolbox, especially for students preparing for a long-term career in fields that may not even exist yet. 

Below are some key areas in which employers expect new grads to be ready from day one:

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Literacy

AI is no longer a niche topic reserved for tech specialists. Many roles now expect basic literacy in artificial intelligence and machine learning tools. Recent reports show that a growing share of employers would rather hire candidates with strong AI skills — even if they have less traditional experience — because these capabilities help teams work faster and solve new kinds of problems. For students, that entails understanding how AI systems work at a high level, knowing their limits, and using them responsibly in everyday tasks. Treating AI as part of your core professional skills can make you stand out in interviews and on project teams.

Data Literacy and Analytical Thinking

As organizations collect more data, they need people who can actually make sense of it, which is why data literacy is projected to be one of the most in-demand skills by 2030. Data literacy means being able to read, interpret, and communicate insights from data, not just run reports or dashboards. Pairing these abilities with strong analytical thinking allows employees to ask better questions, spot patterns, and make decisions that move the business forward. Studies on future jobs have consistently ranked analytical thinking and creative thinking among the top skills employers value.

Cybersecurity Awareness and Digital Safety

With cyberattacks increasing and human error responsible for many breaches, basic cybersecurity awareness is now a central part of workplace skills for nearly every role. Instead of relying solely on IT teams, employers want staff who can recognize phishing attempts, handle sensitive data carefully, and follow security protocols. Effective training helps employees understand how their everyday choices affect organizational security and builds a culture where everyone feels responsible for digital safety. Establishing these habits early signals to hiring managers that you understand modern risks and can be trusted with important systems and information.

Human-Centered and Emotional Intelligence Skills

Even as technology advances, employers are doubling down on human-centered strengths like emotional intelligence, empathy, and collaboration. Workers with high emotional intelligence communicate more clearly, handle conflict better, and tend to be more effective leaders. These qualities help teams navigate stress, change, and uncertainty — common features of today’s workplaces. Developing EI involves learning to read a room, respond constructively to feedback, and build relationships across differences. These in-demand leadership skills are invaluable for long-term career growth.

Critical Thinking and Complex Problem-Solving

As routine tasks are automated, the work left for humans tends to be more complex, ambiguous, and open-ended. That’s why critical thinking and complex problem-solving repeatedly appear on lists of top future skills identified by major labor and education organizations. Employers need people who can evaluate information, question assumptions, and design solutions when there isn’t a clear playbook. Go beyond memorizing content and instead practice how to frame problems, weigh trade-offs, and justify recommendations. These abilities are fundamental professional skills that transfer across roles, industries, and stages of your career.

Creativity and Innovation

Creativity isn’t limited to artists or designers anymore; it has become a core business skill as organizations seek new products, services, and ways of working. Global reports on future workforce trends highlight creative thinking, originality, and initiative as critical skills for the next decade. Employers value people who can generate fresh ideas, connect insights from different fields, and experiment with new approaches when old methods stop working. Building creativity can mean tackling open-ended projects, collaborating across disciplines, or simply getting comfortable with trying things that might not work the first time. Combined with solid analytical ability, creativity serves as a powerful signal of innovation potential.

Tech Adaptability and Digital Fluency

Finally, tech adaptability and digital fluency are becoming baseline expectations rather than optional extras. Experts note that students and employees need to move comfortably between tools, platforms, and AI-powered systems as technology changes. Digital fluency includes knowing how to choose the right tools, troubleshoot basic issues, and leverage technology to improve productivity and collaboration. Employers cite adaptability and digital fluency among the crucial workplace skills needed to stay competitive as new tools roll out. Building these capabilities now can help you adjust more easily to future roles and keep your skill set aligned with workforce trends.

Soft Skills Will Remain the Hardest to Replace

Even as tools powered by artificial intelligence grow more common at work, soft skills like communication, collaboration, and leadership remain the hardest to automate. These human-centered professional skills — including emotional intelligence, active listening, and the ability to navigate conflict — shape how teams function and how decisions actually get made. Employers know that the most in-demand leadership skills involve guiding people, not just managing tasks, which is why these strengths remain some of the best skills to put on a resume. As workforce trends continue to evolve, students and graduates who can pair strong soft skills with technical knowledge will stand out the most.

Best Skills to Put on a Resume in the Upcoming Years

In the next decade, the ideal set of skills to list on a resume will reflect a blend of technical know-how and strong human strengths that employers can’t find enough of. Research from organizations like the World Economic Forum, McKinsey, and LinkedIn shows growing demand for analytical thinking, creative problem-solving, social and emotional intelligence, and comfort working with tools powered by artificial intelligence. For students, that means focusing on future-ready skills that can travel across roles and industries rather than simply specific job tasks. 

Let’s break these into technical and soft categories to help you decide which professional competencies to prioritize as you plot your long-term career:

Future-Ready Skills

Future-ready skills are abilities that stay useful even as specific job titles and tools change. Reports on emerging workforce trends emphasize analytical thinking, creativity, resilience, and a commitment to lifelong learning as core strengths employers will need through at least 2030. 

Such skills help you adapt to new responsibilities, pick up fresh technologies, and navigate uncertainty without losing momentum. Because they transfer well across industries, they’re some of the smartest workplace skills to build and showcase on your resume.

Technical Skills

On the technical side, employers are prioritizing data proficiency and AI-related capabilities across many roles beyond tech. Studies show that demand for skills in areas like machine learning, data analysis, cybersecurity, and working with artificial intelligence tools is growing significantly, and many executives say these abilities are already in short supply. Adding even foundational experience with data visualization, coding basics, or AI-powered tools can make your resume more competitive, especially when paired with strong problem-solving and communication. These abilities demonstrate that you can contribute to technology-driven projects and keep up as digital tools change.

Soft Skills

Soft skills remain some of the most valuable (and hardest to automate) professional skills you can bring into the workplace. Employers and major skills reports consistently point to communication, collaboration, leadership, and emotional intelligence as top priorities, even in highly technical fields. These strengths support effective teamwork, help you handle conflict, and make it easier to guide others through change. When you can show concrete examples of these abilities — through projects, internships, or campus involvement — they become among the best skills to put on a resume for the coming years.

Preparing for the Future: How to Build These Skills Now

Preparing for the future job market means treating skill-building as an ongoing habit, not a one-time task you check off before graduation. The students who thrive long term will be the ones who intentionally develop professional skills that match emerging workforce trends, from tech-focused abilities like artificial intelligence literacy to human-centered strengths such as emotional intelligence and collaboration. Instead of guessing which workplace skills matter, you can take concrete steps now to grow both your technical and soft skills through classes, projects, and campus opportunities. The following strategies can help you start building skills for your resume while also setting a strong foundation for your future career.

Invest in Lifelong Learning

One of the most important future-ready habits is viewing learning as something that continues well beyond a degree. Short courses, microcredentials, and professional certificates make it easier than ever to keep up with fields like AI/ML and data analytics as they evolve. Candidates who show a pattern of ongoing development aside from a single diploma signal adaptability and initiative — two highly valued workplace skills. Continually acquiring and refining your skills enhances your adaptability, in turn enabling you to navigate shifting job responsibilities and workforce shifts effectively.

Seek Hands-On Experience

Classroom knowledge matters, but employers also want to see how you apply it in real situations. Strive to practice in-demand leadership skills, collaboration, problem-solving, and technical abilities in real-world contexts through: 

• Internships
• Co-ops
• Part-time jobs
• Research projects
• Extracurriculars

These experiences give you concrete examples to talk about in interviews and make it easier to demonstrate the best skills to put on a resume, from leading a project team to working with new software. The more you can connect your coursework to hands-on practice, the stronger your overall professional skills profile will be.

Leverage College and Career Resources

Most colleges offer far more support than students realize when it comes to building professional skills for the future. Career centers can help you translate your experiences into strong bullet points that highlight your top skills as well as tailor your resume toward emerging roles in areas like artificial intelligence and data-driven fields. Academic advisors, faculty mentors, and student organizations can connect you with internships, networking events, and leadership opportunities that strengthen both your technical abilities and emotional intelligence. Taking advantage of these resources now can make it much easier to align your development with future workforce trends and step into your post-graduation career with confidence.

Industries That Will See the Most Change

Industries do not transform at the same pace, so understanding where change is hitting hardest can help students make smarter career choices focused on the professional skills and workplace skills in line with future workforce trends. Over the next decade, fields shaped by data, artificial intelligence, and sustainability — along with sectors that rely heavily on human connection and creativity — are expected to evolve the most. Here are some of the key areas to watch:

• Technology & Data Analytics – Rapid growth in cloud computing, machine learning, and data-driven decision-making will keep tech and analytics roles in high demand.
• Healthcare & Biotechnology – An aging population and medical innovation will fuel jobs that blend clinical knowledge with digital tools and strong emotional intelligence.
• Sustainability & Environmental Science – Expanding clean energy and climate-focused work will favor people who can combine technical expertise with in-demand leadership skills to drive change.
• Education & Workforce Development – As workers reskill and upskill, educators, trainers, and instructional designers who understand new workforce trends will be essential.

Creative & Digital Media – Brands and organizations will continue to seek creative professionals who can tell compelling stories, use digital tools fluently, and collaborate across disciplines.

Step Into the Future With a Christ-Centered, Career-Focused Education

Students who intentionally build a blend of technical and human strengths — from artificial intelligence and machine learning literacy to communication, emotional intelligence, and in-demand leadership skills — will be best positioned to grow a resilient career as workforce trends continue to shift. 

At Carson-Newman University, we’re proud to pair academic excellence with a Christ-centered mission, helping you grow both your knowledge and your character while preparing you to serve as an educated citizen and worldwide servant-leader in your field. If you are ready to start building the skills that will serve you for the next decade and beyond, explore Carson-Newman’s College of Professional Studies programs and take your next step toward a meaningful, purpose-driven future.