As technology transforms industries, new sets of skills are showing their worth, offering career growth and opportunities.
It will come as a surprise to exactly no one that many of the skills required to succeed in business today hadn’t even been thought of 10 years ago. While that might seem intimidating, it also creates a world of opportunities for those willing to up their skills and hit the ground running.
What are the fastest growing business skills?
‘Digital and data skills dominate the fastest growing emerging skills [in Australia] and can act as a gateway for transitions between jobs,’ reports the Australian Government’s National Skills Commission.
Deloitte also states in its Australia’s Digital Pulse report that, while there is a lot of growth in technology and a strong demand in Australia for technology workers, the sector is facing a serious lack of supply.
‘There were 64,700 more workers in the technology workforce [in 2021] than in 2020, with the total reaching 870,300, the highest on record,’ it reports, adding that the figure represents an 8% increase year on year, the second highest growth in the technology workforce since their reporting began.
‘The strong overall growth in Australian technology workers is expected to continue. By 2024, Australia’s Digital Pulse forecasts there will be over 1 million technology workers in Australia, growing to 1.2 million by 2027. Achieving this growth requires encouraging workers to join the technology workforce, as well as retaining existing workers.’
Where is the demand?
These are just a sample of the growing list of jobs requiring digital skills. Take a look at any employment site and you’ll see that demand reflected in an expanding range of jobs, such as:
- data scientist
- business intelligence developer
- digital finance specialist
- marketing growth analyst
- social media manager.
Plus, jobs that have been around for a long time are evolving to incorporate digital skills as an integral part of their daily tasks, such as:
- marketing adviser
- business analyst
- finance specialist
- human resources adviser
- project manager.
How do I power up my digital skills?
There are opportunities abound for those willing to learn. An added benefit is not having to compete with people who have been in the industry for decades, for the simple reason that the industry hasn’t existed for decades.
The good news is, it doesn’t take a long time to learn what you need to know to incorporate digital skills into your career, or pivot and start a new one.
Deakin Business School is ranked in the top 1% in the world (in the 2023 QS World University Rankings), and offers a range of digital skill-based qualifications that can increase your value in business.