Summary. The first version of this article was published in 2020 and proposed seven competencies: complex problem solving, critical thinking, interdisciplinary knowledge, adaptability, creativity, STEM and curiosity. In 2026 we tested that list against the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Future of Jobs Report 2025, which gathers the expectations of more than 1,000 employers through 2030. The result: most of the old list still holds, but two important pieces were missing. First, AI and big data is the skill whose importance is rising fastest. Second, people skills such as leadership, social influence and empathy were absent from the old list, even though they rank near the top of employers’ core skills. Below you will find the updated seven competencies, where each one stands in the data, and a concrete first step to build it.
How fast are skills changing?
The WEF 2025 report projects that 170 million new jobs will be created globally in 2025-2030 and 92 million will disappear, a net gain of 78 million jobs. Roughly 39% of workers’ current core skills are expected to change or become outdated over this period. That figure was 44% in the 2023 report, and national estimates vary; the 2025 report puts Türkiye, for example, at 44%. According to the report, if the world’s workforce were 100 people, 59 of them would need training by 2030.
The picture for basic digital skills is just as clear. Eurostat data show that in 2025, 60.4% of EU citizens aged 16-74 had at least basic digital skills, against an EU target of 80% by 2030. National figures can sit far below that average: in Türkiye, one of the countries Eurostat reports, the same indicator stood at 31.5% in 2025.
How does the 2020 list hold up in the 2026 test?
Table 1. The seven competencies from 2020 compared with WEF 2025 data (CEOtudent editorial mapping)
| Competency on the 2020 list | Closest skill in WEF 2025 | Share of employers citing it as a core skill (2025) | Net increase score 2025-2030 | 2026 verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Complex problem solving | Analytical thinking | 69% (1st) | 55 | Stays, as analytical thinking |
| Critical thinking | Analytical thinking | 69% | 55 | Merges with the row above |
| Interdisciplinary knowledge | Systems thinking | 42% | 51 | Stays, as systems thinking |
| High adaptability | Resilience, flexibility and agility | 67% (2nd) | 66 | Stays, and grows stronger |
| Creativity | Creative thinking | 57% | 66 | Stays, and grows stronger |
| STEM and SMAC | AI and big data; technological literacy | 45%; 51% | 87 (1st); 68 | Redefined: AI and data literacy |
| Curiosity and imagination | Curiosity and lifelong learning | 50% | 61 | Stays |
| (Not on the list) | Leadership and social influence | 61% (3rd) | 58 | Added |
| (Not on the list) | Empathy and active listening | 50% | 46 | Added alongside leadership |
Core skill share and net increase score are taken from the WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025. The net increase score is calculated by subtracting the share of employers who expect a skill’s importance to decrease from the share who expect it to increase. The mapping of the old competencies to WEF skills and the “2026 verdict” column are CEOtudent editorial assessments.
The table offers three lessons. First, “complex problem solving” and “critical thinking” are really two names for the same muscle; employers group both under analytical thinking. Second, a broad technology heading such as “STEM and SMAC” is no longer specific enough; what employers expect is the ability to work with AI and data. Third, and most important, the old list had no people skills. Yet research by Harvard economist David Deming shows that in the US between 1980 and 2012, the share of total employment in jobs requiring high social interaction rose by about 12 percentage points, while the share of math-intensive jobs with weak social content fell by 3.3 points. The fastest employment and wage growth came in jobs that demand both strong math and strong social skills.
The updated 7 competencies
1) Analytical and critical thinking
Number one in employers’ eyes: roughly 7 in 10 companies consider analytical thinking a core skill. In an environment where AI produces text, analysis and recommendations at speed, this skill becomes even more valuable, because questioning the output, spotting the assumptions and catching the errors remains human work.
First step: once a week, write three questions about a report you read or an analysis you received from AI. What is the claim based on? Which assumption, if wrong, would change the conclusion? What data could disprove it?
2) AI and data literacy
The skill whose importance will rise fastest in 2025-2030: a net increase score of 87. Networks and cybersecurity (70) and technological literacy (68) follow. It shows up in hiring too: in Microsoft and LinkedIn’s 2024 Work Trend Index, a survey of 31,000 people in 31 countries, 66% of leaders said they would not hire someone without AI skills. The goal is not for everyone to become a software developer; it is to know when and how to use AI tools in your own work, how to verify their output and how to read basic data.
First step: pick a task that repeats every week in your job, try doing it with AI, and compare the result with your own. Note where it saved time and where it made mistakes.
3) Creative thinking
Share of employers citing it as a core skill: 57%; net increase score: 66. Creativity does not disappear in the age of generative AI; it changes form. As producing drafts gets easier, value shifts toward seeing which problem is worth solving and combining ideas that sit far apart.
First step: for a given problem, write down ten ideas of your own before consulting AI, then compare them with the tool’s. Which ideas did only you come up with?
4) Resilience, flexibility and agility
Second on employers’ core skills list (67%), with a net increase score of 66. It is the updated and broader version of “high adaptability” from the old list. In a world where roughly 39% of the skill set is expected to change within five years, it means managing change as a routine rather than a crisis.
First step: write down three things that changed in your work over the past year and assess how you adapted to each. Which adaptation was fast, which was a struggle, and why?
5) Curiosity and lifelong learning
Share of employers citing it as a core skill: 50%; net increase score: 61. The old list’s “curiosity and imagination” merges here with lifelong learning. The WEF estimate that 59 out of 100 workers will need training makes learning a habit rather than a phase.
First step: set a single learning goal for each quarter and, at the end, produce a small output that shows what you learned: a summary, a presentation or a mini project.
6) Leadership, social influence and empathy
Missing from the old list; the most important addition to the new one. Leadership and social influence ranks third on employers’ core skills list (61%), and empathy and active listening stands at 50%. Whatever your title, getting others to buy into your ideas, working as a team and genuinely listening to the person in front of you are among the skills most resistant to automation.
First step: in your next meeting, before you speak, summarize what the other person said in your own words. You may be surprised how often points you misunderstood come up.
7) Systems thinking
The updated counterpart of “interdisciplinary knowledge” from the old list. Share of employers citing it as a core skill: 42%; net increase score: 51. Gathering knowledge from different fields is not enough; you need to see how those pieces affect one another. Anticipating how a change in one process will play out in another team, for a customer or in costs is critical, especially now that AI tools are being added to workflows.
First step: map a process in your work from start to finish, showing who hands what to whom. Then ask, for every box, “What changes if I automate this step?”
Skills losing importance
The WEF report lists only two skills whose importance is expected to decline on a net basis: manual dexterity, endurance and precision (net -24) and reading, writing and mathematics (net -4). The second should not be misread: it does not mean basic literacy is becoming unnecessary. According to the 2023 results of the US adult skills survey, the share of adults at the lowest level of literacy (Level 1 and below) rose from 19% in 2017 to 28% in 2023. When foundational skills weaken, none of the seven competencies above has solid ground to stand on.
Invest like a CEO, learn like a student
From the CEOtudent perspective, these seven competencies form a portfolio. A CEO does not put the entire budget into one area; they balance the highest return against the biggest risk. Do the same with your own skills portfolio: AI and data literacy is the fastest-growing asset, while analytical thinking and social skills are the foundation that holds its value over the long term. The student side sets the rhythm: pick one competency each quarter, start with a small step and measure the result.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most important skill for future jobs?
In employers’ eyes, the most important core skill today is analytical thinking: according to the WEF, roughly 7 in 10 companies consider it a core skill. The skill whose importance will rise fastest is AI and big data.
Why do social skills matter in the age of AI?
Because they are among the skills most resistant to automation. Research shows that in the US between 1980 and 2012, the employment share of jobs requiring high social interaction rose by about 12 percentage points. On the WEF 2025 list, leadership and social influence ranks third among employers’ core skills.
Do I need to learn programming to be AI literate?
For most professions, no. The real need is to use AI tools in the right places in your own work, verify their output and read basic data. Programming is a separate and valuable skill for technical roles.
Which skills are losing importance?
According to WEF 2025, only two skills are expected to decline on a net basis: manual dexterity, endurance and precision, and reading, writing and mathematics. The second, however, remains a foundation.
Where should I start developing these competencies?
Start with a single competency. Choose the one closest to your work, apply the first step from its section for a month and evaluate the result. Then move on to the next one.
Sources
- World Economic Forum (2025). The Future of Jobs Report 2025. January 2025.
- Deming, D. J. (2017). The Growing Importance of Social Skills in the Labor Market. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 132(4), 1593-1640.
- Eurostat (2026). Individuals’ level of digital skills (isoc_sk_dskl_i21), indicator for at least basic digital skills; and Statistics Explained, Towards Digital Decade targets for Europe.
- U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (2024). Highlights of the 2023 U.S. PIAAC Results.
- Microsoft and LinkedIn (2024). 2024 Work Trend Index Annual Report: AI at Work Is Here. Now Comes the Hard Part. May 8, 2024.
This content was compiled with the support of AI following in-depth research, then written and prepared for publication by the CEOtudent editorial team.
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