Top 7 Skills Employers Are Looking For in 2026
Dec 8, 2025
Table of Contents:
Core Skills in 2025 and Skills On the Rise
Top 7 Skills Employers Are Looking For in 2026
Job Search Trends to Leave Behind in 2025
Practical Tips to Get Ahead in Your 2026 Job Search
As we near the end of 2025, it’s time to start looking ahead into the new year and recognize how the job market will be changing. Whether you’re happily employed and have no plans to seek out a new role, or you’re actively job searching as we speak, it’s essential to understand what will make you stand out as the market and hiring climate evolve. This blog post will cover the top 7 skills that employers are looking for in 2026, what you should be leaving behind in 2025, and practical tips to move forward into the new year with confidence.
Core Skills in 2025 and Skills On the Rise
Before we look at the skills predicted to be most desirable in 2026, we must first reflect back on 2025—as analyzing the past is just as important as preparing for the future. Understanding how the need for certain skills has increased and decreased over the past year will help you identify what’s important (and not important) for you moving forward.
According to the Future of Jobs Report 2025 from the World Economic Forum, the top 10 core skills in 2025—calculated as the share of employers who consider them to be core skills for their workplace—are as follows:
Analytical Thinking
Resilience, Flexibility, and Agility
Leadership and Social Influence
Creative Thinking
Motivation and Self-Awareness
Technological Literacy
Empathy and Active Listening
Curiosity and Lifelong Learning
Talent Management
Service Orientation and Customer Services
As we move into an age of increasing AI technology, demand for human-centric skills, and technological literacy, the ordering of these skills changes—and new skills enter the mix. Below are the top 10 skills on the rise in 2025-2030, according to the same report:
AI and Big Data
Networks and Cybersecurity
Technological Literacy
Creative Thinking
Resilience, Flexibility, and Agility
Curiosity and Lifelong Learning
Leadership and Social Influence
Talent Management
Analytical Thinking
Environmental Stewardship
Three key skills that employers are increasingly looking for as we move into 2026 include AI and Big Data, Networks and Cybersecurity, and Environmental Stewardship. This is important to keep in mind when looking forward at future job prospects, career paths, and potential roles you want to apply for.
Top 7 Skills Employers Are Looking For in 2026
While all of these skills are becoming increasingly important, we will focus only on the top 7 skills employers are looking for in 2026. This list of skills has been compiled through research and data from sources such as the World Economic Forum, Forbes, the American Workforce Group, and more.
1. AI & Big Data
The World Economic Forum projects that, by 2030, 1 billion workers worldwide will need to reskill to adapt to AI and automation. As AI-driven automations increase and AI technology becomes more accessible, it’s more important than ever to show that you are able and willing to work with AI—not against it. Companies are operating with fewer people and relying more heavily on AI, so you must prove that your role is essential to the company, and that working in tandem with AI technology will only enhance your performance.
Essential AI and big data job skills may include:
Proficiency in programming languages
Usage and application of technologies like ChatGPT, Copilot, and Gemini
AI workflow integration
Prompt engineering
2. Networks & Cybersecurity
Roles in networks and cybersecurity are becoming increasingly important as new technologies emerge at a rapid pace, making the need for competitive, skilled workers more urgent than ever. Jobs such as Cybersecurity Specialists, Threat Intelligence Analysts, and Cloud Security Engineers are among the most in-demand cybersecurity jobs in 2026, requiring workers to have essential technical skills as well as an ability to adapt.
Essential network & cybersecurity job skills may include:
Proficiency in programming languages
Familiarity with controls and frameworks
Intrusion detection
Scripting
Network security control
Threat knowledge
3. Tech Literacy
Basic tech literacy is no longer enough to be a competitive candidate—you must be proficient in more specialized skills as the integration of technology grows in all occupational fields. In fact, a recent study by the National Skills Coalition found that across more than 43 million job postings, 92% required digital literacy skills and proficiency.
Essential tech literacy job skills may include:
Navigating systems
Project management platforms
Industry-specific software
AI adoption
4. Curiosity and Lifelong Learning
The previous three skillsets have been more technical, while the next four on this list are soft skills transferable across any industry. Curiosity and lifelong learning are becoming increasingly important for employers, as more and more candidates share similar technical skills and proficiencies, but not all are focused on continuous learning, prioritizing intellectual growth, or keeping an open mind. As AI growth continues and technology evolves, it’s essential that you are willing to improve your skills as needed and show your ability to work alongside new technologies.
5. Resilience & Adaptability
Similarly, resilience and adaptability are fundamental skills to have in 2026, no matter what industry you’re in. In an ever-changing job market with new tech emerging seemingly every day, demonstrating your adaptability is key to employers. They are seeking workers who are resilient in the face of challenges and flexible in the face of change; workers who are confident in their ability to pivot when required, and invested in the continuous growth of their skills.
6. Analytical Thinking & Problem-Solving
Employers ranked analytical thinking and problem-solving as a top core skill in 2025, and it continues to be essential in 2026. They need to see that a candidate can think critically about a problem when it arises, analyzing different angles, perspectives, and approaches to come up with the best solution for everyone involved. Analytical thinking and problem-solving are key soft skills to have as AI makes it “easier” to solve problems and garner information; you must be able to sift through the information to figure out what’s important, relevant, and necessary to solve a problem.
7. Emotional Intelligence
Finally, human-centric skills such as emotional intelligence, active listening, and social awareness are among the most desired skills in 2026. The ability to be self-aware, manage your emotions and read the emotions of others, and work effectively in a team only become more paramount in a world of growing AI technology: employers want to see that you yes, have the technical skills to be a competitive, standout candidate, but that you also work well with others, and are proficient in emotional regulation on a human level.
Job Search Trends to Leave Behind in 2025
Prioritizing credentials over skills
97% of employers are now considering or already implement skills-based hiring approaches, decreasing the importance of credentials that may have been required in years past. Many are actually starting to remove academic degree requirements and opting to focus on experience-based skills, on-the-job learning, and overall competence—your degree may not be enough to get you that job anymore.
Relying on technical skills
Instead of focusing only on technical skills, you should prioritize your transferable skills and how they showcase you as a versatile, adaptable, and valuable candidate across multiple industries and roles. To learn more about the importance of transferable skills and how to prioritize them in your job search, read How to Define + Leverage Transferable Skills On Your Resume.
Ignoring AI
It’s time to stop denying that AI technology is here to stay, and start embracing it as a way to enhance your skills. AI is an enhancement, not a replacement, and you should be adding AI proficiencies to your resume. When you stop working against it, AI literacy will be a valuable way to leverage your unique skills and show that you are a competitive job candidate—in partnership with the soft, transferable, human-centric skills that AI will never be able to beat.
Practical Tips to Get Ahead in Your 2026 Job Search
Build a portfolio, not just a resume
Employers are no longer looking for simple resumes, but portfolios and work samples that showcase your experience. Focus on sharing achievements and real-life results, not just listing out the skills you bring to the table like every other candidate does.
Upskill and reskill to remain competitive
Upskilling and reskilling are great ways to remain competitive in today’s job market, and to fill skill gaps in a specific company or industry. Upskilling is improving existing skills and enhancing your current capabilities, while reskilling is learning new skills for a different job or industry—both of which are equally important. Gaining strategic micro-credentials through enrolling in educational programs, obtaining certifications, and building experience can help you stand out, and can often lead to pay increases. You may consider looking into resources such as Google Career Certificates, Coursera, and Microsoft, or asking if your current company will pay for additional trainings/programs.
Seek roles in fast-growing industries
If you’re searching for roles in an industry with decreasing demand (such as Clerical and Secretarial Workers, Administrative Assistances, and Data Entry Clerks), you are inevitably going to have a lower chance of landing a job. Consider seeking roles in fast-growing industries with high demand. Roles expected to see the most significant growth in the next 5 years include:
Technology-related roles
Delivery drivers
Construction workers
Farmworkers
Nursing professionals
Social workers
Counselling professionals
Higher education teachers
Software and applications developers
Paying attention to these top 7 skills that employers are looking for in 2026, as well as spending time reskilling, upskilling, and building real-life experience, will lead to better hiring potential in today’s job market. If you’re looking for further support in landing your next role, with the expertise of a career coach behind you every step of the way, join Career Breakthrough today.