Skills of the Future – What Skills Will Matter in the Job Market?

If it seems the job market has never moved faster, you're right. Artificial intelligence, automation, and demographic shifts are both creating new roles and changing work. Global reports agree: security now depends not on "lifetime" jobs, but on transferable competencies. Recent Antal research highlights two trends: digitisation of HR and rising candidate activity. Companies invest in recruitment systems and analytics, while more professionals monitor the market and expect more than a salary. Antal supports clients with competency audits, development programs, and recruiting for new roles.

In conversations with candidates and clients, we increasingly hear that the following are key:

• opportunities for competency development (training, projects, changing roles within the organisation),
• a flexible work model (hybrid, trust, autonomy),
• a mature organisational culture (leadership style, values, communication methods).

In summary, simply presenting a job offer is no longer enough. The key takeaway is that companies must focus on creating environments where employees can grow and develop alongside the business.

The Next 5 Years: Work Is Changing, Not Just Job Titles

A McKinsey report finds that by 2030, up to 30% of European working hours could be automated, mainly for repetitive tasks. This means not an overnight job loss, but a shift in responsibilities, especially for office, analytical, and administrative roles.

Changes already being observed today include:

• digital tools are taking over some reporting tasks, simple analyses, and administrative work,
• a growing expectation that employees will be able to interpret data, ask the right questions, and propose solutions;
• communication, collaboration, and the ability to “translate” data into business decisions are becoming just as important as hard technical skills.

At the companies we work with at Antal, we’re increasingly hearing questions not only about who to hire, but also about how to prepare their teams for the changes in their work over the next 3–5 years. Hence, there is a growing interest in reskilling programs, competency academies, and internal employee mobility.

How far could technology advance in the coming decade?

A famous 2017 study by the Oxford Martin School showed that approximately 47% of jobs in the U.S. are at high risk of automation. This applies primarily to transportation, logistics, and simple office tasks. Since that publication, the pace of technological development has only accelerated, yet a very important conclusion from MIT research is that there are areas where humans are difficult to replace not because of a lack of technology, but because of the nature of the work.

MIT describes empathy, emotional intelligence, judgment, ethical responsibility, creativity, and the ability to build relationships and trust as “essentially human” competencies. These are the foundations of professions related to:

• education and human development,
• care and health,
• leadership and organisational change,
• customer experience.

At the European level, Cedefop’s projections through 2035 also point to a strong increase in demand for STEM competencies and skills that support the green transition—from engineers to specialists who combine technology, data, and sustainable development.

Profile of the future worker

Based on global reports and expert market observations, we identify several distinct competency areas:

1. Analytical and critical thinking

The World Economic Forum reports that employers continue to identify analytical thinking as a key employee competency—7 out of 10 companies consider it essential. It’s not just about knowing Excel or BI tools, but about understanding a problem, asking the right questions, and making data-driven decisions.

2. Digital proficiency and working with AI

Regardless of the position, the importance of navigating the world of digital tools with ease is growing—from corporate systems to AI-based solutions. Conscious use of technology means understanding how it works, its data sources, and its limitations.

3. Lifelong learning

Reports from McKinsey and Cedefop unequivocally confirm: in a world where professions change faster than academic programs, the ability to continuously update one’s skills is becoming crucial. This is currently one of the most important competitive advantages in the labour market.

4. Social and emotional competencies

MIT, the WEF, and numerous market studies highlight the growing value of mental resilience, collaboration, empathy, and relationship-building skills—especially in distributed and hybrid teams. It is these competencies that determine how effectively a team will leverage technology, not the other way around.

5. Sustainability-related competencies

According to Cedefop, the green transition entails not only new technologies but also a profound change in how we work, affecting virtually all sectors. We will need people who understand the impact of business on the environment and can align economic goals with social responsibility.

Reflections for companies and employees

From our perspective, this is very clear: companies that consciously invest today in developing their people’s competencies win on several fronts at once. Antal supports clients throughout this process by offering HR consulting, compensation analytics, and reskilling initiatives, enabling organisations to effectively plan talent development and translate skills investments into tangible business results.

As a result, companies have the opportunity to:

• be more attractive to candidates in terms of job offers and development opportunities,
• adapt better to technological changes,
•  achieve greater internal mobility (people change roles within the organisation more often instead of leaving).

Now is a good time to ask yourself a few simple questions:

1. Which of my tasks might be automated in the coming years?

2. Which of my competencies are “fundamentally human,” difficult to replace with technology (relationships, decision-making, creativity)?

3. Which competencies do I want to invest in over the next 12 months?

To approach the topic strategically, create a simple competency map: evaluate your current skills, identify what tomorrow’s business will require, and determine the steps needed to bridge that gap. The key takeaway is that consciously planned competency development prepares companies and employees more effectively for future market changes.

In a world where professions change faster than job descriptions, true security isn’t a permanent position, but a willingness to learn and change oneself. Technology can speed up our work, but only we decide whether it will also accelerate our development. Without this, we risk becoming experts in the tasks we teach machines to perform.

Perhaps the most important skill of the future is not listed in any report, but is the courage to ask: Which skills do we hold onto out of habit, and which ones truly prepare us for the future? The takeaway: regularly challenge your skillset to remain future-ready.

The future of work won’t wait. Step forward and ask yourself: Who are you becoming—and what action will you take today to get there?

List of studies and reports:

1. Antal, “Trends in the Recruitment of Specialists and Managers,” 2nd edition (2025) – the impact of digitalisation on recruitment, trends in hiring specialists and managers.

2. Antal, “Activity of Specialists and Managers in the Labor Market,” 15th edition – level of candidate activity, propensity to change jobs, expectations of employers.

3. World Economic Forum, “Future of Jobs Report 2025” – projections of jobs created and eliminated by 2030, the impact of AI and other technologies.

4. McKinsey Global Institute, “A New Future of Work: The Race to Deploy AI and Raise Skills in Europe and Beyond” (2024) – estimates regarding the automation of working hours and up to 12 million changes in Europe by 2030.

5. Oxford Martin School / Frey, Osborne, “The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerisation?” – analysis of job susceptibility to automation, estimate of approx. 47% of U.S. employment at high risk.

6. MIT Sloan, “Workforce Intelligence” / reports on the future of work – the importance of competencies such as empathy, creativity, judgment, and ethics in the context of AI.

7. Cedefop, “Skills Forecast 2035” and projects on the green transition – employment forecast for STEM sectors and the green transition through 2035, the impact of the European Green Deal on the structure of skills demand.

8. Media and business analyses on the talent shortage and the role of AI – e.g., Sustainability Magazine on WEF findings, ManpowerGroup/Bankier.pl on the talent shortage and the role of digital skills and AI.