What the World Learned at Work: May 2021’s Hottest Skills
Every month, the Udemy for Business team analyzes and shares trends based on what employees are learning across our thousands of customers around the world. With access to billions of data points, we can provide a unique perspective on the most in-demand job skills (both soft skills and technical skills) modern employees need to thrive in today’s dynamic workforce and how organizations can tie learning to business outcomes.
Without further ado, here are skills that matter most to the global workforce in May 2021.
Top skills for May 2021
Microsoft AI-900
If you’re not familiar with Microsoft’s Azure AI platform, here’s the gist: In short, it provides machine learning users with graphical interfaces that permit them to understand and interact with complex structures in a way that is easier and more effective than using simple text descriptions. Users also can apply this technology directly in solving real-world problems in various industries, such as financial services, healthcare, transportation, and education. Organizations whose tech teams pass the Microsoft AI-900 exam are better equipped to leverage data to make better, faster investment decisions. So it’s no surprise to see consumption increase tremendously last month.
Coaching
Coaching is one of the few skills that focuses on self-awareness as its anchor and prioritizes active listening, nonjudgmental reflection, and psychological safety in order to be most effective.
“It can be said that great leaders coach and great coaches lead, and more and more people are recognizing that,” says executive leadership coach and Udemy instructor Marie Deveaux. She advises those who are just beginning to explore their coaching upskill journey to:
- Take an accredited course or certification to really understand the modality, beyond what you may have experienced in a traditional manager’s training program.
- Study time-tested frameworks and tools. Coaching is a discipline, and it is enhanced using additional resources.
- Get a coach yourself. The best coaches are those who have been coached by adept coaches, as experiencing the shifts in the self-awareness journey for yourself is the fastest path for establishing an empathetic lens for those who you will coach in the future.
Top skills by industry for May 2021
Video and image analysis is a hot topic right now — especially in the financial services industry. This is part of an ongoing effort to utilize computer vision and machine learning in everyday banking transactions to improve the overall customer experience.
With Jose Portilla’s Python for Computer Vision with OpenCV and Deep Learning, in particular, organizations in this industry can add credit card recognition to their mobile apps, automatically detect fraud, and so much more.
Skills required for the future of work and today
So there you have it — the most in-demand job skills for May 2021.
Did you know? 79% of CEOs are worried about employees’ lack of skills and 60% of employees worry their current skills will be outdated in three to five years. The pace of change is too quick for you to hire people with the right skills. Today, organizations are upskilling their workforce to reduce overhead costs, maintain business continuity, and drive revenue.
If that sounds promising yet overwhelming, don’t worry. Udemy for Business’ course library is carefully curated from our marketplace of 155,000 courses. That means your employees have access to the freshest, most in-demand content taught by qualified, deep subject matter experts. Find out why Unilever, Prudential, and thousands more organizations have partnered with us to prepare their workforce for the future. Speak to our workplace learning experts today.
