New Data Finds Human Skills Remain Top of Mind Despite AI Advances

Data released by Degreed reveals people favour human over technical skills; 9 out of the 10 top skills workers are interested in learning are all about adapting to the new landscape

Degreed, the learning platform that makes skills-powered learning easy for hundreds of companies globally, released a list of the top 10 skills learners were interested in 2023. The list reveals that despite the rise of artificial intelligence in the workplace, people still favour human over technical skills – out of the 10 skills listed, only 1 is tied to technology.

Top 10 skills for learners*:

1. Leadership;
2. Project management;
3. Data analytics;
4. Communication;
5. Change management;
6. Collaboration;
7. Leadership development;
8. Agile;
9. Problem-solving;
10. Coaching.

AI and its new applications are leading the list of trends that will define the future of work, creating new jobs, replacing others, and changing the way we build and develop our careers. A paper published last year revealed that around 80% of the US workforce could have at least 10% of their work tasks affected by the introduction of large language models such as ChatGPT.

With the widespread adoption of AI solutions in the workplace, however, it is becoming essential to develop human skills that will help us manage these technologies. A study by McKinsey says the demand for social, emotional, and higher cognitive skills will rise by 2030: “Accompanying the adoption of advanced technologies into the workplace will be an increase in the need for workers with finely tuned social and emotional skills—skills that machines are a long way from mastering.”

Janice Burns, Chief Transformation Officer at Degreed, said:

“The fact that the majority of the skills in the top 10 list are human skills like problem-solving and communication highlights how important it is for us humans to work together to make the most of the AI age we’re in. The workers who will succeed in 2024 and beyond are the people who can partner with technology and other humans — it’s exactly the 9 human skills listed here that will enable them to do this.”

Human skills are also more adaptable and long-lasting compared to whatever the hottest technology of the moment is as new tech can be easily replaced with a new coding language or a more updated operating system at any point. “With the boom of AI, jobs are changing rapidly and L&D teams should be just as agile, being able to adapt at a moment’s notice to offer people the training they need to succeed and evolve in their careers,” said Janice.

* Top skills are based on the number of learning pathways created in the Degreed platform specific to those skills in 2023.