These are the skills employers are looking for in 2023

As we enter 2023, work as we know it is changing. New industries are emerging by the day, all of which require different job requirements and skills. The concept of the “office” is fast evolving. Emerging technologies are making many tasks easier — or depending on where you’re looking from, harder. 

If you’re a fresh graduate, these developments affect how employers view workers, i.e. you. With jobs changing in form, location, and more, the skills that were perhaps more in demand 10 years ago may not be as valued today. 

In approaching 2023, it’s important to assess the best skills that will make you more employable. What trends are taking over and how is this changing the way we work? What are employers going to value most in the coming year? How can you position yourself best to take advantage of this? 

Here are the best skills you should sharpen and add to your CVs:

Most digital skills are highly valued by employers worldwide. Source: Nicolas Asfouri/AFP

Best skills for the 2023 workforce

SEO

Everyone uses Google. It’s the go-to search engine for all your needs, from finding the best restaurants in the area to downloading books and games. But, because all of this happens within the span of a few seconds, you might not notice the complex decisions that Google is making to generate those results. 

Knowing how to navigate those decisions and make sure your article or website lands on the first page of a Google search, in this sense, can be extremely tricky. This is called SEO — and is a skill that’s highly sought-after by employers. 

Looking to pick up some SEO skills? Take an online course for it. Hubspot and Coursera are just a few websites that offer such a course. 

Data literacy

Every company uses and works with data on a daily basis. It doesn’t matter what role you’re in — from engineer to social media manager, you’ll be looking at data to better improve your company’s performance. 

With this comes the ability to read, work with, analyse and present data in a concise manner. This can then be used to make better decisions, streamline processes, and find ways to increase profit. Because of this, candidates who can work with data in an effective and concise manner are extremely valued. 

Want to sharpen your data literacy skills? Try your hand at The Data Literacy Project. A bachelor’s degree in computer science, marketing, or any other programme where you’d have to work with data is useful in this, as well. 

Learning to shoot and edit video content can get you far in the workplace. Source: Oli Scarff/AFP

Video editing

The rise of TikTok has completely changed how the world consumes content. From launching influencers’ careers to acting as a platform to pick up a language, the app is being used for all sorts of purposes. Of course, this has extended to marketing business content, as well. 

Such ways of consuming content are beginning to become universal across all major platforms, including Instagram and Facebook. This makes the ability to create, edit and post videos according to major trends and insights one of the best skills you can take up right now. 

The best part? You can learn to create videos at any time, in any place. All you need is a good-quality camera and a video editing app, such as TikTok or CapCut. 

Coding 

There’s a reason why most fictional characters in thriller or action movies know how to code — and it’s all to do with the limitless possibilities the skill offers. By coding, you are essentially giving a computer a set of instructions to follow — dictating it to build programmes, process data, and more. 

It is one of the best skills for jobs that require web design, software development, technical IT roles, and more. Outside of this, learning to code can be a great way to explore and build on your own existing passions — allowing you to build on your own interests. Employers see value in this too.

Coding is typically taught through a computer science degree programme, but you can learn to code independently, as well. Coursera has listed its 10 most popular coding courses here.