​Skills are undoubtedly the mainstay of professional success as they determine how much you can contribute to your workplace, and in the era of AI, soft skills emerge as the more valuable ones because they cannot be replicated by machines. No wonder, 57% of the senior leaders give precedence to them over hard skills. Here are the soft skills that will be on top in 2019.

When it comes to professionals’ skills, you need to inculcate both soft skills and hard skills to become a dream resource for any organisation.

Surprisingly, according to LinkedIn data, there are at least 50,000 professional skills and the sheer number turns out to be a massive challenge. Here are a few valuable skills that are going to be in demand in 2019.

Soft Skills

Communication

Excellent communication skills are perhaps the strongest soft skill that any professional can possess as it enables one to understand, share and convey ideas within teams and to customers.

Creativity

Even though robots are poised to take over workplaces with automation, creativity still runs high on the employers’ wish list as this is a skill that brings a valuable perspective to problem-solving.

Adaptability

Adaptability is another key soft skill that one must possess as it keeps one capable of being aligned with the ever-changing technologies and organisational scenarios.

Time Management

Mastering time management has always been a desirable skill and continues to be the same in the year ahead as it ensures productivity and completion of tasks within timelines.

Collaboration

As teams become bigger and projects become more complex today, it is hard to imagine survival and growth in the professional domain unless one has the ability to work in collaboration.

Hard Skills

With digital experiences becoming the backbone of businesses, there are some technical skills that the workforce needs to possess, to deliver the right kind of services. These are referred to as hard skills and the following will be in high demand in the year ahead.

Artificial Intelligence

As a majority of organisational processes and systems of the future will rely on AI, this is a skill that cannot be overlooked today, i.e. understanding the possibility of AI in your specific sector and be able to use that to add value to your business & customer.

Customer Experience

The advent of digital and accessibility to information has made the customer more powerful, marketing today is driven based on customer demand. Understanding your customer’s wants and needs, segmenting the user base to target their key pain points and issues is what will make brands stand out in 2019.

Data Privacy & Security

The growing emphasis on data privacy and the introduction of regulatory compliances have made data security an in-demand skill in 2019.

Data Analytics

Businesses are becoming data driven and the trend is accompanied by an increase in demand of professionals who are capable of analysing data to gather rich insights for better decisions, what good is having tons of data be if the business can’t gather insights and take actions driven from that insight.

UX Design

Even though IT remains the centre point, UX design is still an in-demand creative-technical skill, as it enables businesses to create compelling user journeys that drive conversions.

Despite ample opportunities for professional growth in 2019, having the right skills matters a lot. Adding these high-demand skills to your portfolio can take your profile to the next level!