The Job Skills

of 2023
The Fastest-Growing Job Skills for Businesses,
Governments, and Higher Education Institutions
The Job Skills of 2023 The Fastest-Growing Job Skills for Institutions

Table of
contents P.3 P.10 P.24

Introduction The Fastest-Growing Job Conclusion

Skills for 2023

P.27 P.31 P.35

Regional Data Technical Appendix Endnotes

2
Introduction

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The Job Skills of 2023 The Fastest-Growing Job Skills for Institutions

The Skills Needed for Today’s

Global Workforce
How We Define Digital Skills
Digital skills refer to a range of abilities that allow one to understand, use and
create value with and from technology. They include everything from typing to
This report presents the fastest-growing digital and human skills on Coursera posting on social media to developing software to cybersecurity. Digital skills exist
entering 2023. Of the more than 113 million total learners on the Coursera on an ever-evolving spectrum.
platform, this report specifically draws on insights from Coursera’s 4
million enterprise learners across 3,000 businesses, 3,600 higher education
institutions, and governments in over 100 countries. By identifying in-demand How We Define Human Skills
job skills, institutions can better equip their employees, citizens, and students Human skills constitute our ability to relate to one another. They include a range
with the knowledge needed to enter a competitive job market or advance of cognitive, social, and emotional skills, such as creativity, critical thinking,
their careers. information interpretation, decision-making, leadership, and communication.

At a time when global macroeconomic challenges are intensifying—driven by

international conflict, high inflation, and an uncertain economic outlook—
nurturing skills development will be fundamental to strengthening the labor
This is Cousera’s second annual Job Skills report, following The Job Skills
market. From revealing the growing popularity of micro-credentials among
of 2022: The Fastest-Growing Job Skills for Institutions
both job seekers and employers, to identifying how specific human and digital
skills benefit learners, this report equips institutions with the insights to build
learning strategies that address the needs of today’s global workforce.

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The Job Skills of 2023 The Fastest-Growing Job Skills for Institutions

At Coursera, we approach employability as an ecosystem and partnership: a

network of interdependent institutions including colleges and universities,
Why Institutions Prioritize Skills
business, and public sector agencies, who rely on each other to educate,
develop, and employ a global workforce. We surface skill trends with data-
driven research that enables this ecosystem through different methods:
The information presented in this report can help highlight the skills that leaders in
• Measuring skill proficiencies: Coursera’s annual Global Skills Report both the public and private sectors should prioritize to drive employability.
benchmarks the skills proficiency of distinct populations, helping
institutions understand which job skills they should prioritize.
Governments need to know which skills will build a competitive,
• Surveying sentiments towards skills-based credentials: This year’s
modern workforce and must work in partnership with businesses and
From Higher Education to Employment report confirms that job skills
post-secondary institutions to future-proof their labor force.
are a top priority and that industry micro-credentials aligned to career
outcomes are key to driving employability.
• Identifying the skills of the future: In the Job Skills of 2023, we identify Businesses must focus on skills training as a means of attracting,
the fastest-growing skills of the past year across our enterprise learners— retaining, and reskilling talent for the success, profitability, and
those enrolled in a course on Coursera through a partnership between growth of their company.
Coursera and a business, government, or higher education institution.
Alongside an analysis of the factors shaping today’s job market and
Higher education institutions must teach the skills that are in
the trends found in our data, this year’s edition of the report weaves in
demand by employers in order to attract students and strengthen
regional snapshots of the fastest-growing skills. The result is our most
career outcomes.
detailed report yet—offering invaluable insights into the shape of today’s
employability ecosystem and how institutions can improve it.

5
The Job Skills of 2023 The Fastest-Growing Job Skills for Institutions

4. Skills that blend technical expertise and project management are new to the
list this year
Executive Summary
As organizations increase investments in digital skills, having skill sets that
The Skill Trends of 2023* help organizations manage and support technical teams is becoming more
important than ever to meet internal deadlines and objectives, ensure resources
are allocated and managed wisely, and boost efficiency.

1. The fastest-growing skills are digital skills 5. Skills like data visualization and analysis are growing and can complement
The top ten overall fastest-growing skills are digital skills. The ongoing evolution traditional human skills like people management and storytelling
of technology means employers are regularly seeking new digital competencies As organizations seek to yield value from data-led approaches in teams from
from potential hires while also reskilling existing workers. IT to HR, being able to understand and use data to communicate effectively is
becoming a must-have skill—regardless of career path.
2. The fastest-growing digital skills are changing more significantly than the
fastest-growing human skills 6. Management skills to guide teams through change are among the
The top ten digital skills vary significantly from last year—only two have carried fastest growing
over year-on-year: data visualization and user experience. The human skills in Managers have been under greater pressure since the pandemic and in a
demand remain steadier, suggesting an evergreen demand for skills like change context of greater macroeconomic uncertainty. In response, organizations
management and communication. are recognizing the increasing importance of leadership and management
skills necessary to effectively manage change at the individual, team, and
3. Skills centered on user experience are on the rise organizational level.
With digitization across all industries accelerating, user experience skills are in
high demand as consumers expect their needs to be met rapidly, effectively, 7. Communicating with peers, customers, and prospects is key for hybrid work
and in a user-friendly way. Skills related to customer success tools and user Sharing information effectively is set to remain a vital skill for learners and
experience design have seen increased interest. organizations alike in 2023. These skills help organizations connect with
customers, guide internal teams, and steer strategic discussions.
*These trends may also reflect the availability of new content launched by Coursera partners.

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The Job Skills of 2023 The Fastest-Growing Job Skills for Institutions

The State of Job Skills Using skills-based assessments, 78% of HR professionals in the US say the quality
of their organization’s hires has improved.5

As macroeconomic instability rises, skills-based approaches to learning and hiring

can help employers minimize risk. Global research from Deloitte found both
The job market is changing, quickly workers and leaders had a strong preference for organizations6 in which roles
Global conflict, high inflation, and an uncertain economic outlook are contributing were defined by the skills they required. Despite this, just 5% of business executives
to a cooling labor market. McKinsey’s latest research1 on economic conditions believe their organizations are investing enough in helping employees learn new
found around half of respondents are expecting global conditions to weaken in the skills to keep up with the changing world of work.7
next six months. Across industries, employers are reacting with budget cuts, hiring
freezes, and layoffs.2 The role of credentials is evolving
Optimization and efficiency is the new mantra, and with it, a strategic focus on skills In parallel to the rise of skills-based assessments, the role of the traditional four-
development is key for both employers and job seekers. year degree is in a state of flux. While a growing number of employers are removing
degree requirements,8 43% of students identify their ability to get a job among the
Institutional investment does not yet match the top three factors motivating their decision to enroll in degree programs.9
appetite for skills-based learning, and hiring Meanwhile, non-degree credentials are growing in popularity with 90% of students
Institutions are increasingly aware of the importance of skills-based learning and agreeing a professional certificate will help them stand out to employers and 76%
hiring. Almost all (94%) employers are considering moving to a skills-based hiring3 of employers stating they are more likely to hire a candidate who has earned one.10
approach and more than half of employers4 in the US today already use pre- This change may be driven by high college costs, and the difficulties that recent
employment assessments to gauge job applicants’ knowledge, skills, and abilities. graduates experience in trying to find well-paid employment due to a lack of
industry-specific skills.

7
The Job Skills of 2023 The Fastest-Growing Job Skills for Institutions

While degrees will remain an important credential, university decision makers may Both human and digital skills are complementary. People use human skills to
begin to tackle these challenges by offering more career-focused skills training in effectively and ethically make use of digital skills, as well as to successfully lead
their programs to help graduates enter in-demand jobs. Meanwhile, industry micro- teams and organizations.
credentials like professional certificates are becoming a popular and accessible
Human skills are increasingly recognized as essential to institutions. Analysis
option for individuals seeking to boost employability.
of more than 6,600 participants in 113 countries by Boston Consulting Group
found that leadership development was a top priority for the future success
Demand for human and digital skills outstrips supply of businesses.14
Institutions must consider how they develop human and digital skills that achieve
The demand for human skills is also fueled by the changing nature of management
their strategic priorities. Ensuring the right balance of soft and technical skills will
roles. During the pandemic, leadership skills shifted as managers were charged
be vital, particularly as automation rises—with the global installation of workplace
with overseeing hybrid work plans—or, in some cases, pushing back on behalf
robots hitting an all-time high in 2021.11
of leadership against the demand for flexibility from employees.15 This increased
Globally, digital skills shortfalls are hurting businesses. According to Forrester, 62% purview, in tandem with being tasked with managing pay expectations during a
of IT decision-makers report that their staff lacks the skills required to deploy new period of high inflation, has meant managers require a new set of human skills to
technologies,12 which impacts their ability to drive innovation, improve customer actively lead people with empathy during periods of accelerated change.
or employee experiences, and increase productivity. Building a more tech-fluent
Failing to invest in human skills poses a significant risk to the success of
workforce could drive an estimated $6.3tn in additional value across the globe,13
organizations. In the UK, businesses could reportedly fail to add £240bn in GDP to
with workers earning 65% more on average compared to non-digital co-workers.
the economy by focusing only on digital skills.16

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The Job Skills of 2023 The Fastest-Growing Job Skills for Institutions

While this report distinguishes human and digital skills to reveal learning According to Deloitte, skills-based
trends to help institutions focus their skills strategies, the two don’t exist in organizations are:17
isolation. As the report shows, skills programs today must offer not only a mix
of learning opportunities for both digital and human skills, but recognize that
the two are more closely linked and complimentary than institutions may
realize. This is a trend we will explore in-depth later in this report. 107% More likely to place
talent effectively 98% More likely to have a
reputation as a great place
By investing in the right digital and human skills, institutions can work to to grow and develop

counter the effects of a tight labor market and prepare workers for continued
evolutions in the job market. As a result, higher education institutions,
governments, and businesses can build a more resilient workforce that is able 98% More likely to retain
high performers 79% More likely to have a
positive workforce
to adapt to changing market trends. experience

How we define the fastest-growing skills 57% More likely to anticipate

change and respond 52% More likely to innovate
The fastest-growing skills of 2023 are identified through a comparative effectively and efficiently
evaluation of Coursera enterprise learner enrollments between 2021 and
2022. Out of the roughly 350 skills cataloged in Coursera’s taxonomy, the
fastest-growing skills are those that have seen the biggest increase in their
overall enrollment ranking in this period and therefore are expected to
49% More likely to
improve processes to 47% More likely to provide an
inclusive environment
maximize efficiency
continue to grow or stay popular in 2023.

9
The Fastest-Growing
Job Skills for 2023

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The Job Skills of 2023 The Fastest-Growing Job Skills for Institutions

Fastest-Growing Digital Skills 2023 Fastest-Growing Human Skills 2023

Rank Skill name Rank Change* Rank Skill name Rank Change*

1 Scrum software development +86 1 Storytelling +49

2 Data visualization +75 2 Change management +45

3 Customer success tools +67 3 Organizational development +23

4 E-commerce +63 4 Influencing +20

5 CRM software +61 5 People management +19

6 User experience design +61 6 Culture +18

7 Agile software development +60 7 Collaboration +16

8 Software framework development +60 8 Decision-making +16

9 System software development +55 9 Communication +15

10 Search engine optimization +52 10 Planning +12

*Number of ranks this skill moved up from 2021 to 2022, based on the skill’s share of enterprise learner enrollments

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The Job Skills of 2023 The Fastest-Growing Job Skills for Institutions

Trends: Job Skills

of 2023

12
The Job Skills of 2023 The Fastest-Growing Job Skills for Institutions

Trend #1 product and feature rollouts—received 159,000 enrollments in this past year
by comparison.
The fastest-growing skills are digital skills
With employers seeking changing digital competencies from new and existing The rapid growth of digital skills shows that learners, as well as institutions that
workers, the top ten overall fastest-growing skills, including both human and digital sponsor their learning, are recognizing that online platforms can provide learners
skills, are digital skills. with the opportunities to develop the skills they need to flourish in a fast-changing
labor market.
In-demand digital skills can offer candidates better long-term job prospects—
potentially, a key factor driving their growth on Coursera.18 Likewise, given the
Trend #2
ever-evolving nature of technical skills, this growth may reflect the need for learners
to keep pace with emerging technologies through new courses from Coursera’s The fastest-growing digital skills have changed more
educational partners. significantly than the fastest-growing human skills
While human skills have a slower rate of growth, compared to digital skills, they
Both the top-ten fastest-growing human and digital skills vary significantly from last
remain a popular choice for learners on the Coursera platform.
year’s report. However, digital skills, which must keep pace with new technologies,
In fact, enrollments in change management—the second fastest-growing human have seen the largest shifts—just two of the top-ten have carried over from last year
skill (increasing +45 ranks in 2022) which describes the approaches and steps (data visualization and user experience).
needed to prepare, support, and help individuals, teams, and organizations as
a whole adapt and change internal and external processes—received 350,000 In comparison, half of the top-ten fastest-growing human skills are the same as
enrollments in the past year. Meanwhile, scrum software development—the last year (storytelling, change management, influencing, decision-making, and
fastest-growing digital skill (+86 ranks in 2022) which describes a framework for communication). The average rank change was also smaller in human skills at 23,
project management designed to help teams define and deliver software for compared to 64 for digital skills.

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The Job Skills of 2023 The Fastest-Growing Job Skills for Institutions

These findings suggest that digital skill requirements change much faster than Heading into 2023, these fast-growing digital skills will be essential for institutions
human skill requirements. Technology is always evolving—driving a need for of all kinds—including businesses hiring new candidates, and educators preparing
distinctly new skill sets as others become outdated. Human skills, such as empathy, learners with job-ready skills. They are also likely to continue evolving. While digital
communication, and leadership, are a staple for personal and professional skills are vital for building competitive workforces, human skill investments may
development, and require continued practice to better support individuals and prove longer-lasting—given they are less impacted by technological change.
teams, and lead them through organizational changes.
For example, an employee who has learned to use one type of data visualization
The range of digital skills may also stem from organizations increasingly investing in software in their previous role may still need to upskill in a different data
digital transformation. Such investments are forecast to reach $7 trillion by 2023,19 visualization tool when joining a new company.
growing at a rate of 18% annually between 2020-2023.
Heading into 2023, we can expect these fastest-growing digital skills to be essential
When it comes to regional analysis, Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa regions for business. However, they are also likely to continue evolving. While digital skills
saw the greatest shifts in the top fastest-growing skills—with digital skills changing are vital for business competitiveness, human skill investments may prove longer
an average of 96 ranks in Sub-Saharan Africa, and 91 ranks in Latin America. Europe lasting—given they are less impacted by technological change.
had the lowest rank change at just 57 on average. In alignment with Coursera’s
Global Skills Report,20 this suggests regions with high skill rank changes are seeing
increased investment in online learning.*

*See our Technical Appendix for the top five fastest-growing human and digital skills in each region

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The Job Skills of 2023 The Fastest-Growing Job Skills for Institutions

It’s important our students have the

chance to adapt to self-learning to be able
to respond to the digital transformation
happening all around us.

Imed Hammouda,
Dean of SMU’s Mediterranean Institute of Technology

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The Job Skills of 2023 The Fastest-Growing Job Skills for Institutions

Trend #3
Skills centered on user experience are on the rise
Last year, product design and user experience were two of the fastest-growing
Gain New User Experience Skills with Industry
digital skills, suggesting a growing focus on equipping teams for the experience
economy. This year, with customer success tools, CRM software, e-commerce,
Micro-Credentials
and user experience design all in the top ten fastest-growing digital skills, user
experience has been cemented as a key digital skill set.

In an increasingly digitized world, user experience skills enable consumers to have Coursera partners with industry leaders in user experience, offering
their needs met appropriately and quickly. Meanwhile, the rise of digital technology Professional Certificates that can prepare learners to begin new
powering user experience—whether customer success tools or CRM software, roles in as little as six months with the world’s most powerful and
both of which are used to efficiently manage sales and customer processes— in-demand customer success, sales, and marketing technologies.
demonstrates the increasing importance of digital skills in traditionally human Examples of these Professional Certificates include:
skill-centric areas. Learners looking to develop their careers should be increasingly • HubSpot Sales Representative from HubSpot
aware that these skills can open up lucrative opportunities in such roles. • Salesforce Sales Development Representative from Salesforce

As the digital experience economy grows, user experience skills will power • Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce from Google
frictionless online interactions that drive improved results for business, in
particular. Individuals that acquire these skills through their higher education
institutions, governments, or businesses will be better prepared to enter fast-
growing skill areas in customer success, digital marketing, and product design.

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The Job Skills of 2023 The Fastest-Growing Job Skills for Institutions

Alyssa Turned Her Love For Relationship-Building

Into A Successful Tech Career
If I could offer one word of advice, it’s to just
go for it. It can be scary leaving an industry
you’re comfortable in, but don’t be afraid to After graduating from university in 2014, Alyssa Cruz started working as
a TV host and producer before enrolling in the New York Film Academy
start over. There are resources like Coursera to learn camera work and video editing. This earned her a video editor
that can help you reach your career goals. position in Singapore. When she lost her job during the pandemic, she
found herself exploring a career change. That’s when she discovered
the Salesforce Sales Development Representative Professional
Certificate. Now she works in the tech industry as an Internal
Communication Specialist at a startup.
Alyssa Cruz,
Internal Communication Specialist

17
The Job Skills of 2023 The Fastest-Growing Job Skills for Institutions

Trend #4

Agile and Scrum Skills can Skills that blend technical expertise and project management have surfaced
be Attained through industry as fastest-growing
micro-credentials Globally, scrum software development is the fastest-growing digital skill (+86 ranks in 2022) and tops the regional
charts in Europe, Latin America and the Middle East and North Africa. Meanwhile, agile software development is
the 7th fastest-growing skill (+61 ranks in 2022).

Agile and Scrum methodologies can help Agile is a broader approach to product development and project management—also built around an ethos of
drive employability and business impact for continual, iterative improvement. Scrum can be understood as a specific, practical framework for bringing agile
tech professionals. One of the most effective approaches to software development.
routes to attaining these skills is through
This once again suggests that skills that blend digital and human expertise are continuing to gain importance.
non-degree credentials, attained through
Agile and scrum skill sets require a strong grasp of both technical concepts and human skills like communication,
courses like:
collaboration, and planning.
• Google Project Management
from Google As employers invest in more digital skills, approaches like agile and scrum will become increasingly important
ways to manage and structure digitally-skilled teams. With frameworks like scrum and agile in place, technical
• Scrum Master Certification
teams can work more effectively and productively—in turn maximizing the value of their wider digital skill sets for
Specialization from LearnQuest
the business.

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The Job Skills of 2023 The Fastest-Growing Job Skills for Institutions

Trend #5
Data visualization and analysis are some of the fastest-growing skills and
can complement traditional human skills like people management and
storytelling
Data visualization—including courses such as Data Visualization with R, taught by IBM—is the 2nd fastest-
growing digital skill this year, and was also one of the fastest-growing digital skills last year. Relatedly, people
analysis emerged as one of the top ten fastest-growing human skills in both the Latin America region and the
Middle East and North Africa region.

According to Harvard Business Review,21 “data skills are now essential for almost every role in every
organization,” and last year we identified that data skills were no longer required only in technical roles. This trend
has remained, with data-centric skills seeing continued high interest from learners.

However, work still needs to be done to increase data literacy—for example in areas such as reading charts,
interpreting data, and undertaking analysis—across the workforce. Just 21% of the global workforce22 are fully
confident in their data skills today and just 27% of business leaders23 in the US believe their current data and
analytics projects generate actionable insights.

The urgency for data upskilling—which businesses, educators, and governments must all play a key role in—
will continue to grow as traditional human skills, like people management, become more data-driven. People
analytics, for example, is an emerging approach to managing people at work by undertaking deep analysis of
workplace data to make better decisions.

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The Job Skills of 2023 The Fastest-Growing Job Skills for Institutions

The ongoing ‘datafication’ of different elements of work is an opportunity

for learners and institutions. By building data-based skills, learners can build
transferable competencies and stand out in a global talent pool that currently
falls short in this area. Employers of all kinds meanwhile benefit, as data- Michael Sharpened his Data Skills—and his Career—
driven operations are shown to make workplaces more efficient, effective, With Coursera
and equitable.24

Coming from a disadvantaged background and as a first-generation

college student, Michael C. discovered Coursera could open up
new opportunities for him to engage in world-class learning from
I’ve been able to break free from the institutions like Stanford. He soon decided to start using Coursera
to gain an edge as he built his career. Today, Michael is a successful
cycle of poverty, and I would not be professional at Ford, where the business has recognized his credentials

where I am today without the knowledge as a thought leader and value creator in his field. With skills in data
science, machine learning, and deep learning honed on Coursera,
and skills I’ve gained on Coursera. Michael is flourishing as an individual worker and a leader—thriving
even in challenging situations.

Michael C.,
Data Operations Executive

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The Job Skills of 2023 The Fastest-Growing Job Skills for Institutions

Trend #6
Management skills to guide teams through change are among the
Establishing Foundational Data
fastest growing
Literacy with Coursera Human skills in change management, organizational development, culture, and people management, are
growing fast.

These skills help teams navigate uncertainty while helping organizations execute strategic initiatives like digital
transformation. With growing macroeconomic turbulence, intensifying demands on middle managers since the
Coursera’s Data & Analytics Academy offers
pandemic,25 and increasing demands for flexible work environments, these skills will grow in importance in 2023.
a one-stop-shop for deploying a high-quality
data science and analytics learning program. Leadership skills are increasingly important for all employees. Just 19% of business executives believe traditional
Designed to develop learners at any level of work structures should continue, whereas 60% say we should be moving toward a fractionalized working
data proficiency across business functions, approach (whereby workers flexibly flow to tasks and projects based on their skills and interests).26 These
the Data & Analytics Academy features structures will disrupt traditional management relationships and place an increasing onus on individuals to “self-
content and lessons from top universities lead”, or to take on leadership positions depending on projects or task requirements.
and companies.
To date, leadership training has often lacked impact. While 70% of Fortune 500 companies offer mentoring
programs, there’s little evidence of their effectiveness—likely due to such programs remaining optional.
Mandatory mentorship programs can produce more tangible gains.27

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The Job Skills of 2023 The Fastest-Growing Job Skills for Institutions

As managers face more pressure to drive performance while reducing costs—likely only exacerbated by
macroeconomic uncertainty—in 2023, businesses, governments, and higher education institutions will need to
Investing in the Success of expand investment in leadership skills. These skills will help job seekers advance their careers while positioning
Managers with Coursera’s employers to support existing managers, fill gaps in the event of hiring freezes or layoffs, and transition their
Leadership Academy workforce to more autonomous, flexible approaches to work.

Trend #7
From change management to organizational Communicating with peers, customers, and prospects is key for hybrid work
development, organizations must provide Communication, storytelling, and influencing remain in the top ten fastest-growing human skills this year,
employees with the human skills needed to showcasing the continued importance of sharing information and persuasion. These skills enable individuals
adapt and lead in afast-changing world. With and organizations to effectively communicate with customers and peers, navigate management discussions, and
job-based programs and unrivaled teaching guide direct reports.
quality across 42 skill sets, Coursera’s
Leadership Academy is designed to provide Storytelling—including courses like Storytelling in Branding and Content Marketing—is the overall fastest-
every individual, team, and organization with growing human skill and led in four out of six regions analyzed (Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, North
the human skills necessary to flourish. America, and Sub-Saharan Africa).

In an information landscape which has seen trust fall in news organizations—particularly in the US—and
as concerns around misleading information remain high, clear communication and messaging are only
becoming more valuable to businesses.28 Likewise, as the pandemic shone a spotlight on both the physical and
mental health of the workforce, 90% of HR leaders believe they must focus on being authentic,29 empathetic,
and adaptive.

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The Job Skills of 2023 The Fastest-Growing Job Skills for Institutions

With economic pressures rising, the media landscape is likely to remain

contentious and polarized. Meanwhile, the workforce continues to demand
flexibility and compassion from organizations. With these contexts in mind, human
skills such as storytelling, communication, and influencing will be vital for Coursera Delivers the Human Skills Central to
organizations looking to manage both internal and external outreach. Effective Communication

Coursera offers a wide range of courses that can boost an

individual’s information-sharing abilities in key human skill sets.
By working with Coursera, we give employees These include:
flexible, convenient options to build business • Storytelling courses such as Viral Marketing and How to
and leadership skills. That improves career Craft Contagious Content
satisfaction for our employees and makes our • Communication courses such as Improving
Communication Skills
organization stronger.
• Influencing courses such as Influencing People

Siva Kulasingam,
Digital Learning Manager, Coles

23
Conclusion

24
The Job Skills of 2023 The Fastest-Growing Job Skills for Institutions

In 2023, human and digital skills will only become more interdependent.

While digital skills have been the fastest-growing skills this year, our report reveals that both digital and human
skills are in-demand by employers. In the year ahead, effective skill programs will recognize that digital and
human skills are increasingly interdependent—and complementary of one another.

Whether it’s IT using scrum software development to marry technical expertise with management to release
new software or sales embracing CRM software to automate follow-ups and deliver top-tier customer service,
many of the fastest-growing digital skills leverage or enhance traditional human skills.

Meanwhile, as demand for management and leadership skills rises and organizations prioritize autonomy
and flexibility, human skills like communication and storytelling are becoming more important for roles
across organizations.

This changing landscape only strengthens the case for life-long learning as a way for institutions to ensure
their people have the skills necessary to flourish and drive success. By investing in valuable, in-demand skills
that blend human and digital proficiencies, like people analysis and agile software development, higher
education institutions, businesses, and governments can prepare their learners for a fluctuating job market
and fast-changing economic conditions.

As workers around the world look with uncertainty at the year ahead, government agencies, higher education
institutions, and businesses all have a responsibility to prioritize learning programs focused on the skills that
drive employability. In doing so, they will strengthen their own organizations, the job market, and the careers
of the people powering them.

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The Job Skills of 2023 The Fastest-Growing Job Skills for Institutions

Career Academy from Coursera

Our partnership with Coursera—and specifically
Coursera’s Career Academy offers courses that prepare learners for in-demand,
Career Academy—is really a perfect match as it fits
entry-level roles with expert guidance and hands-on projects. Developed
in collaboration with leading global companies like Google, IBM, Meta, and into our larger vision on how the Alamo Colleges is
Salesforce, the Professional Certificates found in Career Academy help job innovating and preparing learners of all backgrounds
seekers build confidence and a strong portfolio, with no need for a degree or for the future of work. We are excited to have this
previous experience.
partnership to offer training for learners to gain the
skills needed for high-wage, high-demand jobs across
San Antonio.
Learn more about Career Academy by booking time
to speak with our solutions consulting team today.
Luke Dowden,

Request a Consultation Chief Online Learning Officer and Associate Vice Chancellor of Academic Success,
Alamo Colleges District

26
Regional Data: The
Fastest-Growing Job
Skills for 2023

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The Job Skills of 2023 The Fastest-Growing Job Skills for Institutions

Fastest Growing Job Skills for 2023 Fastest Growing Job Skills for 2023

Asia Pacific Europe

Rank Skill name Rank Change* Rank Skill name Rank Change*

Human Skills 1 Change Management +54 Human Skills 1 Storytelling +48

2 Storytelling +40 2 Change Management +41
3 Culture +25 3 Organizational Development +26
4 Decision Making +21 4 Collaboration +24
5 Organizational Development +19 5 Negotiation +19

Digital Skills 1 Data Visualization +90 Digital Skills 1 Data Visualization +98
2 Customer Success Tools +79 2 Customer Success Tools +65
3 Software Framework Development +74 3 Software Framework Development +64
4 Scrum (Software Development) +70 4 Scrum (Software Development) +61
5 E-Commerce +69 5 E-Commerce +60

*Number of ranks this skill moved up from 2021 to 2022, based on the skill’s share of enterprise learner enrollments

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The Job Skills of 2023 The Fastest-Growing Job Skills for Institutions

Fastest Growing Job Skills for 2023 Fastest Growing Job Skills for 2023

Latin America and the Caribbean Middle East and North Africa

Rank Skill name Rank Change* Rank Skill name Rank Change*

Human Skills 1 People Analysis +95 Human Skills 1 Storytelling +70

2 People Management +77 2 Influencing +44
3 Change Management +66 3 Training +38
4 Storytelling +41 4 People Management +36
5 Collaboration +34 5 People Analysis +33

Digital Skills 1 Scrum Software Development +166 Digital Skills 1 Scrum Software Development +96
2 Process Analysis +150 2 Agile Software Development +66
3 Agile Software Development +104 3 CRM Software +65
4 Data Visualization +88 4 E-Commerce +63
5 User Experience Design +82 5 Back-End Web Development +62

*Number of ranks this skill moved up from 2021 to 2022, based on the skill’s share of enterprise learner enrollments

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The Job Skills of 2023 The Fastest-Growing Job Skills for Institutions

Fastest Growing Job Skills for 2023 Fastest Growing Job Skills for 2023

North America Sub-Saharan Africa

Rank Skill name Rank Change* Rank Skill name Rank Change*

Human Skills 1 Storytelling +61 Human Skills 1 Storytelling +70

2 Change Management +43 2 Communications +44
3 Communications +33 3 Influencing +38
4 Organizational Development +17 4 Change Management +36
5 Culture +15 5 Decision Making +33

Digital Skills 1 E-Commerce +108 Digital Skills 1 Scrum Software Development +96
2 Customer Success Tools +84 2 Agile Software Development +66
3 Search Engine Optimization +80 3 CRM Software +65
4 CRM Software +76 4 E-Commerce +63
5 Back-End Web Development +69 5 Back-End Web Development +62

*Number of ranks this skill moved up from 2021 to 2022, based on the skill’s share of enterprise learner enrollments

30
Technical Appendix

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The Job Skills of 2023 The Fastest-Growing Job Skills for Institutions

About Coursera Learner Data

The Data Scientist Behind the
Job Skills Report The skill trends and proficiency analyses in this report represent a view of the world through the more than 4
million enterprise learners on Coursera. While Coursera facilitates the education of more than 113 million total
learners, enterprise learners are those who are specifically enrolled in a course on Coursera through a partnership
between Coursera and a business, government, or educational institution. A person can be enrolled in multiple
Anna Zhao is a Data Scientist on the classes, but we count them as a learner once.
Enterprise & Thought Leadership team at
Coursera. Her role is primarily focused on An individual’s ability to access and use Coursera is influenced by many factors, including internet infrastructure,
generating insights related to the Coursera educational background or past training, and local culture or norms. We also use learner profile data such
Skills Graph to support skills products as as location.
well as external data reports. Anna holds an
The results may also be influenced by local economic or social conditions. For example, economic downturns
MS in Management Science & Engineering
sometimes drive learners to Coursera. Our industry partnerships also sometimes quickly bring thousands of new
from Stanford and a BA in Economics from
learners onto the platform. The results of this report may also reflect the availability of new content launched by
UC Berkeley.
Coursera partners.

In general, our goal is to objectively represent what is happening across the Coursera ecosystem. Sometimes
our results capture what is happening across an entire economy. Other times, the demographics and behavior
of Coursera learners mean that some results should not be extrapolated or interpreted as representing broad
populations but as a way of indicating directional shifts in enterprise learner interest.

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The Job Skills of 2023 The Fastest-Growing Job Skills for Institutions

Overview The Coursera Skills Graph

The Job Skills of 2023 Report assesses the The Coursera Skills Graph maps the connections among skills, content, careers, and learners on the
skills demand and online learning trends Coursera platform.
among Coursera enterprise learners globally. For the Job Skills of 2023 Report, we leverage the following parts of the Skills Graph:
Building this report involves data from
several components: 1. Skill to skill: Describes the connections among skills and generates a skills taxonomy where broad,
higher-level skills are parents of more granular, lower-level skills.
1. The Coursera Skills Graph
2. Skill to content: Maps skills to the Coursera courses that teach them.
2. Growing skills
3. Share of enrollments among
enterprise learners Figure 1: The Coursera Skills Graph

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The Job Skills of 2023 The Fastest-Growing Job Skills for Institutions

Growing Skills and Share of Enrollments

among Enterprise Learners

To determine which skills are growing, we study two year-long periods:

• October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021 (the “start period”)

• October 1, 2021 through September 30, 2022 (the “end period”) We consider the same set of skills in both
the start and end period: all granularity 2
For each of the two periods, we measure each skill’s popularity by calculating the share of Coursera enterprise and granularity 3 skills in Coursera’s clean
learner enrollments in content that teaches the skill. We then calculate growth as follows: skill taxonomy, which spans business,
1. For each time period, rank each skill by its enrollment share in descending order (say skill S is ranked 70th technology, and data science domains. The
in the start period and 50th in the end period) notion of whether a course teaches a skill is
derived from the Coursera Skills graph, which
2. Compute the “rank improvement” of skill S by comparing the start period rank and the end period rank
was described earlier in this appendix.
(skill S rank improvement is 70 - 50 = 20)
3. Highest-growing skills are the skills with the largest rank improvement (if skill S2 has a rank improvement
of 25 ranks, it grew more than skill S1 that saw a rank improvement of 20 ranks)

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The Job Skills of 2023 The Fastest-Growing Job Skills for Institutions

Endnotes

1. McKinsey, Economic conditions outlook, September 2022, (2022) 18. McKinsey, Unlocking experience-based job progressions for millions of workers, (2021)

2. Bloomberg, There’s a Job-Market Riddle at the Heart of the Next Recession, (2022) 19. IDC, FutureScape: Worldwide Digital Transformation 2020 Predictions, (2019)

3. Coursera, From Higher Education to Employment: How your university can connect learning to career 20. Coursera, Global Skills Report, (2022)
outcomes, (2022) 21. Harvard Business Review, Boost Your Team’s Data Literacy, (2020)
4. SHRM, New SHRM Research Makes the Case for Skills-Based Hiring, (2022) 22. AND Digital, The Human Impact of Data Literacy
5. Ibid. 23. Deloitte, Data literacy for the public sector: Lessons from early pioneers in the United States, (2022)
6. Deloitte, The skills-based organization: A new operating model for work and the workforce, (2022) 24. Harvard Business Review, Using People Analytics to Build an Equitable Workplace, (2022)
7. Ibid. 25. Financial Times, Middle managers — on the new front line of office life, (2022)
8. Harvard Business Review, Skills-Based Hiring Is on the Rise, (2022) 26. Deloitte, The skills-based organization: A new operating model for work and the workforce, (2022)
9. Coursera, From Higher Education to Employment: How Your University Can Connect Learning to Career 27. Harvard Business Review, Why Your Mentoring Program Should Be Mandatory, (2022)
Outcomes, (2022)
28. Reuters Institute, Overview and key findings of the 2022 Digital News Report, (2022)
10. Ibid.
29. Gartner, Gartner HR Research Identifies Human Leadership as the Next Evolution of Leadership, (2022)
11. IFR, World Robotics Report: “All-Time High” with Half a Million Robots Installed in one Year, (2022)

12. Dell, Innovation Leaders Need IT Services To Drive Transformative Outcomes, (2019)

13. Gallup, The Amazon Web Services-Gallup Global Digital Skills Study, (2022)

14. Boston Consulting Group, The Future of People Management Priorities, (2021)

15. Financial Times, Middle managers — on the new front line of office life, (2022)
16. AND Digital, UK Digital Skills Gap Whitepaper, (2022

17. Ibid.

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