According to our recent survey*, around half (49%) of recruiters say they have a skills gap in their organisation…
In today’s competitive job market, having the right skills can make all the difference in securing your dream job. But what skills are most in-demand, and how can you stand out to the 80% of recruiters who plan to hire new staff this year?
To help make sure you’re developing (and studying) in the right areas, we’ve analysed millions of job adverts on Reed.co.uk** to find the seven key skills that employers are looking for:
1. Communication skills
Over 1 million job ads posted on Reed.co.uk in 2024 listed communication skills as something they were looking for in their ideal candidate.
And with a further 39% of recruiters we surveyed stating that interpersonal skills is where their organisation faces the biggest skills gap, becoming a great communicator in 2025 will guarantee you’re in demand.
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2. Flexibility
If one of your strengths is flexibility, recruiters are looking for you.
Not only was this skill mentioned in over 167,000 job ads in 2024, its demand has also increased by 6% compared to 2023.
View all personal development courses
3. Leadership skills
Leadership was the third most popular skill on recruiters’ wishlists in 2024, featuring in almost 98,000 job ads – an 18% increase in popularity compared to the previous year.
Additionally, almost half of the recruiters we surveyed claimed that their organisation has a skills gap in this area, further cementing the importance of leadership expertise in today’s job market.
4. Creativity
Many recruiters were looking for creative thinkers in 2024, with 96,000 job ads calling creativity out as a key requirement for applicants.
And with a 38% increase in mentions YoY, the demand for this skill is likely to continue into 2025 and beyond.
5. Negotiation skills
With over 83,000 mentions in job ads in 2024 and a 43% rise compared to 2023, negotiation skills are becoming increasingly invaluable to recruiters.
They may even be…non-negotiable.
View all negotiation skills courses
6. Resilience
Resilience isn’t just a sought-after skill, it’s actually becoming even more desirable over time.
With a massive 82% increase in 2024 compared to the previous year, developing your resilience will always be worthwhile when it comes to improving your employability.
7. Critical thinking
Out of the seven in-demand skills, the need for critical thinkers was up the most year-on-year.
It rose by an enormous 183% in mentions in 2024 compared to 2023, and was featured in over 23,000 job ads on Reed.co.uk.
View all critical thinking courses
Honourable mention: Artificial intelligence (AI) skills. Whilst the number of job ads mentioning AI skills (612) was relatively low in comparison to the above in-demand skills, it increased by 74% year on year – demonstrating its fast-growing need in today’s job market. 25% of the recruiters we surveyed also stated that their organisation had a skills gap in this area.
Haven’t found what you’re looking for? View all courses now, or find a job you’ll love by searching thousands of vacancies on Reed.co.uk.
*Source: An online survey of 251 recruiters from across the UK – 4th November – 8th November 2024.
**Source: Job ads posted on Reed.co.uk – 1st January 2023 to 31st December 2023 vs. 1st January 2024 to 31st December 2024.
