The Evolution of Skills 2030: How to prepare your people for an unpredictable future

The skills that powered your business yesterday won’t ensure success tomorrow. Technological advancements, market disruptions, and shifts in workforce dynamics are reshaping the way we work. To stay competitive, organizations must not only adapt to these changes but anticipate and prepare for what lies ahead.

If the COVID-19 pandemic taught us anything, it’s that those who had the foresight to embrace digital transformation and flexible work models thrived, while those that didn’t struggled to keep pace. It became evident that disruptions—whether from global crises, technological innovations, or shifting consumer behaviors—can have devastating consequences for those unprepared.

So how can organizations future-proof their workforce and stay ahead of the curve in an era of constant change? And what is the key to tackle workplace shifts – before they happen? 

The era of organizational disruption

From the race to embrace AI to geopolitical uncertainties, today’s business challenges are vast and complex. Industries across the board are undergoing rapid transformation. The energy industry is pivoting toward sustainability, driving investments in new technologies, the banking sector faces ongoing pressure from digital innovation and stricter regulations, while the manufacturing is evolving with global smart factories, demanding widespread tech integration.

The impact of these disruptions is undeniable. But it’s not just industries that are changing - workforces are evolving too. New research reveals that, for the first time, four generations are working side by side in the average organization. People born in the 1950s and 60s are collaborating with those born in the 2000s. Managing such a diverse workforce poses opportunities and challenges alike. 

Change is the only constant 

In addition to external pressures, businesses are facing internal challenges that are reshaping the modern workplace. The Great Resignation gave way to the “quiet quitting” trend, leaving many organizations with a disengaged workforce. Trust in organizations has hit historic lows.

On average, employees experienced 10 planned enterprise changes in 2022—everything from restructuring to achieve efficiency to culture transformations and legacy tech overhauls. Compare this to just two changes in 2016, and it’s clear that the pace of change is accelerating. However, employees are struggling to keep up. According to a Gartner survey, employees’ willingness to support organizational change plummeted from 74% in 2016 to just 43% in 2022.

With economic uncertainty and widespread layoffs, it’s no surprise that “Change Fatigue” has become a trending term as workers are worn out by shifting priorities, policies, and personnel.

In response, business and people leaders must adapt their strategies to ensure their workforce can evolve alongside changing business needs—so they don't get left behind in an increasingly competitive and fast-paced market. 

It’s time for business leaders to recognize that optimizing performance in these turbulent times relies on a skilled and agile workforce. Only by investing in the right talent development strategies can businesses stay ahead of change.

“We're undergoing a lot of transformation. It's the green transition and then there's the risk of more and more people retiring. And then also AI - it's influencing our operating models and putting us into situations where change will be constant going forward.

So we have to ask ourselves - how can we start preparing our workforce to adapt to these changes smoothly, how can we bring our workforce into a situation where they can thrive.” Konstantina Held, Global Skills Manager at Electrolux Group

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Skills are evolving with market trends

When we examine the upskilling priorities of leading companies, it’s clear that the skills in demand are directly influenced by broader market and societal shifts.

For instance, in 2022, resilience emerged as the most sought-after skill, as companies responded to the ongoing impact of the pandemic and the challenges of new hybrid work models. But as AI increasingly reshaped the workplace, learning agility—the ability to rapidly reskill and adapt—became the number one skill companies prioritized.

“As AI technology and programming languages evolve rapidly, the most important skill will be adaptability.

Professionals must embrace lifelong learning, continuously updating their skills to stay relevant while leveraging emotional intelligence to identify skill gaps and knowing when to seek help or further training,” says Simon Brown, Training Project Manager at Mirakl.

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But the evolution won’t stop there. As business environments continue to shift, so too must employee skills. Companies that can anticipate these needs and keep their talent one step ahead of change will be better positioned to succeed.

Anticipating future skills can make or break organizations’ competitiveness

In this unpredictable landscape, HR and learning leaders have a vital role to play. Identifying and scaling the right skills is key to driving innovation, fostering employee growth, and creating economic value at all levels of the business.

Now more than ever, companies that want to stay competitive need to rethink their approach to talent development. Reacting to change alone won’t be enough in a future where disruption is only going to accelerate. Leading organizations must proactively anticipate market shifts and develop their workforce accordingly. This is why understanding how emerging trends influence talent development is critical.

Lepaya’s new Evolution of Skills 2030 report uncovers the key trends and insights that have shaped upskilling strategies in global enterprises over the past years. Based on these insights and extensive data analysis, we predict future trends and identify the critical skills that will propel each industry forward.

Read the report to discover the top 10 future-ready skills and the emerging roles across industries such as Finance and Insurance, Technology, Life Sciences, Manufacturing, and Professional Services.

“As we look toward 2030, it's not just about preparing for the next disruption—it's about cultivating a mindset of continuous learning and adaptability in our people.

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Organizations that invest in future-proof skills will not only navigate change more effectively but will turn disruption into opportunity,” René Janssen, CEO of Lepaya.