The skills needed for future jobs

The changing labour market means that young jobseekers need to develop a set of core transferable skills to address the gap and give employers what they need from their workforce.

This page explores some of the most sought-after skillsets that will be essential when applying for jobs and moving between different roles and industries. It also showcases the ways that the LifeSkills content can support you in helping your young people to develop the core transferable skills that employers need.

What are the core skills becoming increasingly important for businesses over the next few years?

Applying skills to a workplace context

As well as possessing a set of core skills, employers are looking for their future workforce to be able to apply these in a practical way. From supporting, motivating and working well with their colleagues, to managing their own time and wellbeing, it’s important to make young people feel equipped to put transferable skills into practice in different work scenarios. The good news is that LifeSkills offers a range of resources that directly supports young people to be work-ready and excel in these key areas.

Employers were asked which core transferable skills they found particularly difficult to obtain for hard-to-fill vacancies – and the below are some of the most cited. We’ve highlighted a selection of LifeSkills resources to support young people to develop these skills:

LifeSkills lessons and activities on staying positive; leadership; problem solving; creativity; negotiating and persuading and communication

LifeSkills resources on setting SMART goals; recognising and building personal skills; listening, speaking and communication

Further information and support from LifeSkills

• Read next: explore shifts in our ways of working and the highest demand jobs by reading this page on global trends in the future labour market, or take a further look into the changing job landscape here.

Sources:    

• http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Future_of_Jobs_2020.pdf
• https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future-of-work/jobs-lost-jobs-gained-what-the-future-of-work-will-mean-for-jobs-skills-and-wages#
• https://graduatemarkettrends.cdn.prismic.io/graduatemarkettrends/f90f52ec-a7ed-45bc-a9b8-1873c0da2c41_skills-shortages-in-the-uk-201920.pdf