Top In-Demand Skills Employers Want In 2025—And How To Learn Them Fast (Without Spending A Fortune)
Shortly after Kathleen was laid off, she called for career counseling services. Her boss had implied that her skills were outdated, making her very concerned about landing another good-paying job. She asked a few friends about what she should do. One pointed out that she should acquire a high-value new skill, and he recommended project management. Kathleen recognized the advantage of acquiring that vital skill. She found a project management course offered at a local college that costs thousands of dollars. Kathleen questioned whether it was worth the time and investment.
Many employers report that they struggle to find candidates with the right skills and are faced with what is called a 'skill gap' between the skills an employee has and the skills they want in current jobs and future roles. Some companies spend a great deal of time and money offering training courses to improve employees' job capabilities, and others do not.
Career Development is one of the top things that matters to employees, according to LinkedIn's 2025 Workplace Learning Report. Many larger companies invest thousands of dollars in employee training. Companies such as Microsoft, P&G, Amazon, Johnson & Johnson, Dell, and Adobe offer Leadership Development training programs. These programs put you on the high-flyer, fast-track promotion train. However, only a handful of employees are enrolled in these programs.
For many people like Kathleen, they didn't have the opportunity to be in a management training program, nor did her company offer much employee training relevant to her job. So, adding any new skills would be her responsibility. She admitted it had been on the back burner, and she regretted not pursuing it before. Now it had become a priority, but cost was a major concern.
Where to find top training options at a reasonable cost
I advised her that project management would be a great complement to add to her background. I recommend courses from Coursera that offers 10,000 online courses in various fields, including classes, specializations, and professional certificates. Top universities and companies teach the classes. And their programs can fit almost anyone's budget. Coursera Plus training programs offer a low-price monthly fee and a $399 annual fee for unlimited access.
Kathleen was surprised by the number of course offerings and considered taking Microsoft's, or Google's, or several others from top universities. She enrolled in one of Coursera's online project management certification programs. The certification program would take four to six months to complete and would be a big addition of a new skill to add to her resume.
Top Skills That Employers Seek
LinkedIn recently published a new list entitled LinkedIn Skills on the Rise 2025: The 15 fastest-growing skills in the US. To no one's surprise, AI Literacy is the #1 skill at the top of the employers' lists. Coursera offers many programs and certifications in this area.
Here are a few highly rated popular AI Coursera courses for beginners and advanced tech learners.
Beginner-Friendly and Nontechnical:
•AI for Everyone by Andrew Ng (DeepLearning.AI). This course is designed for nontechnical professionals and business leaders to understand AI's impact.
•Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (AI)–IBM. You'll learn definitions of AI, machine learning, deep learning, neural networks, and real-world examples.
Specializations and Certificates for Advanced Learners
•IBM AI Engineering Professional Certificate. The focus is on building AI engineering skills, including deep learning and machine learning algorithms.
•AI For Business Specialization. Covers how to apply AI in a business context.
•Generative AI Leadership & Strategy Specialization. Focuses on strategic approaches to leading generative AI initiatives.
More In-Demand Skills Employers Value
•Conflict Mitigation – managing office politics, workplace conflicts, and international teams
•Adaptability – easily able to handle change and willingness to learn new things quickly
•Process Improvements – focused on improving productivity and operational efficiency
•Innovative Thinking – creative, resourceful problem-solving and development of new ideas
•Public Speaking – essential for people at all levels
•Solution-Based Selling – focused on meeting a customer's specific needs
•Customer Engagement and Support – building genuine relationships with customers and being responsive to their needs
•Project Management – to oversee the productivity and effectiveness of the team to finish the project on time, within budget, and achieve the goal and objective
•Go-to-Market Strategy – to assist in launching new products and services
•Budget and Resource Management – to ensure the company's money and materials are used appropriately and strategically
Many employers require a wide variety of essential skills to get promoted, hired, or to keep your job. Don't just think about being the employee they need today; focus on becoming the employee they need tomorrow. Being a continuous learner will continue to develop your career, enabling you to have better future opportunities.
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