Jobs and Skills 2030: The definitive list of skills? Much has been written on the importance of skills regarding the requirements of the current and future labour market. Trend reports, vocational guides,…,the search for a job and/or the development of one’s professional career necessarily include improving skills and abilities as a key element in personal branding.

CVs are clear examples. In the recent social context, training and qualifications are no longer competitive factors, as they were in the past; they have been overtaken by work experience expressed in the first few lines of CVs and covering letters. In recent years, we have witnessed a further requirement. Accumulated experience is no longer enough, what counts is what skills you have acquired from all your experiences. Yes, experiences, because non-formal and informal learning can also make the difference that attracts a recruiter’s attention.

Last February, the UK Commission for Employment and Skills published the report titled “The Future of Work: Jobs and Skills in 2030”, a prospective study that seeks to identify the skills that will be required in 15 years’ time according to their research. This vision can complement other posts by other international organisations that we published here, here and here.

The report proposes the following industry classification: health and social intervention, professional and business services, sales and logistics, education, production, creative and digital industries and, finally, construction. A set of recommendations is proposed for each field based on the evolution, in coming years, of the demand for skills that may be useful for any professional but particularly for young people who are completing their studies in a related field. These recommendations can be a good guide on how to approach the labour market.

Among the factors shared by all the sectors mentioned in this report, we can find the increasing technicalisation of many sectors (a factor that we have discussed here).

This technological growth and the changes that will ensue in future business models means that the continuous adaptation of skills is absolutely essential for the successful participation in the labour market.

Other factors, that are not for the future, but that are already absolutely essential are collaboration and interconnectivity. “Employees will require skills to work across various disciplines, to collaborate virtually and demonstrate cultural sensitivity”. Something with which Howard Gardner completely agrees.

Convergence and Innovation: The dissemination of disciplines will facilitate the hybridization of skills and will ensure that some people acquire a competitive edge in a labour market which increasingly demands more.

The fourth factor to be taken into account according to this report is the increase in individual responsibility. Within a context of more flexible labour, employees can be expected to display self-responsibility acquiring the skills required for the challenges they will find in their jobs. Self-management and personal branding will be key for workers in the coming years.

The report also highlighted the gradual disappearance of middle-strata jobs.

Finally, it mentions the emergence of multi-generational work contexts where four generations will be working “side by side”. Managing these contexts and developing intergenerational working skills will be further requirements of the labour markets.

This will not be the final list; however, we do recommend bearing it in mind when looking for a job and also to remain competitive in our careers.