20 Must-Have Skills for Success in the Digital Age

Share this:

The skills needed in the digital age aren’t coding, but rather several soft skills that machines can’t perform. What are these skills?

Amid concerns that future human jobs will be displaced by technological advancements, optimism is growing because future jobs will become increasingly humane. Bernard Marr, a futurist, influencer, and technology company advisor, wrote in his book, Future Skills: The 20 Skills and Competencies Everyone Needs to Succeed in a Digital World, about the future of work in the digital age. He believes that future jobs, although largely automated by technology, will actually make work more human. Future jobs will be uniquely human. Marr writes,

Building on the previous industrial revolution (which was driven by advances in computing), this fourth industrial revolution (driven by automation and connected technologies) will continue to fundamentally reshape the future of work. Almost every job is going to change as more intelligent AIs and robots share work with us. But far from detaching us from our humanity, I believe this wave of new technologies will make work more human, not less. What can be automated will be automated, leaving humans to do the work that we’re ultimately better suited to—tasks that rely on distinctly human skills like complex decision-making, creativity, empathy and emotional intelligence, critical thinking, and communication. These are the kinds of skills where humans outperform even the most intelligent machines. This is where we excel. And that’s where the future of work lies. In more human, more fulfilling work.

“Ironically, schools are teaching students to look good to an algorithm, instead of teaching them the skills needed to thrive in the future job market.”

Bernard Marr

Therefore, according to Marr, to navigate the seas and succeed in the digital age, people need a number of essential skills for the future. Unfortunately, when talking about skills in the digital age, many people think that the skills needed are technical skills in the field of technology, such as coding. Technical skills in the field of technology such as coding will still be needed in the future, but most of the skills of the future will be soft skills, namely uniquely human skills that cannot be performed by machines, skills related to how humans can survive and coexist with machines. Marr writes,

When we talk about essential skills for this brave new digital world, many assume we’re talking about tech skills, such as coding. In fact, thriving in the digital world isn’t about having deep technical knowledge—rather, it’s about understanding the technologies underpinning this fourth industrial revolution and the impact that these technologies will have on the future of work. It’s about understanding the relative strengths of both people and technology, and how we can capitalize on those strengths. Therefore, future skills lean much more towards softer skills than you might think—towards skills that will enable humans to succeed in the digital world (not compete with machines for easily automated work). Of course, some jobs will require technical skills, but the majority of in-demand skills will be soft skills—basically, the things that machines can’t do.

However, according to Marr, these crucial skills for the future are unfortunately not being taught in schools. In Indonesia, for example, the skill that is starting to be taught in schools is coding. Regarding this phenomenon, Marr wrote,

However, many of these skills are currently not (or very poorly) taught in traditional education settings. Schools place too much emphasis on traditional academic subjects like mathematics; Meanwhile, the enormous value in soft skills goes often unrecognized. Ironically, schools are teaching students to look good to an algorithm, instead of teaching them the skills needed to thrive in the future job market.

What are the 20 essential skills of the future? Here are those skills.

Digital literacy, namely the digital skills needed to learn, work, and live everyday life in our increasingly digital world.
Data literacy is the fundamental ability to understand and use data. In the digital age, data has become a business’s most important asset. People produce data every day, from social media activity, in-app purchases, and activated GPS signals.
Technical skills are the practical skills ( hard skills ) needed to perform a job successfully, such as accounting skills for an accountant, teaching skills for a teacher, or nursing skills for a nurse. In the digital age, where many skills are being taken over by machines, technical skills are becoming increasingly important.
Digital threat awareness means being aware of the dangers of being online or using digital devices—and having the tools to keep yourself and your organization safe. This is crucial because many of our activities are digital, including financial transactions, shopping, and interacting with others.
Critical thinking , namely thinking objectively by analyzing issues or situations based on evidence (not based on personal opinions, biases, etc.) so that we can build a comprehensive understanding of what is actually happening.
Complex judgment and decision making, namely judgment using rational and intuitive abilities to reach the best decision we can make, based on a combination of information, experience, and our personal attributes.
Emotional intelligence and empathy, namely the ability to recognize, express, and manage our emotions—and to understand and respond to the emotions of others. Automation in the digital age is making humans increasingly less empathetic. Therefore, these skills are crucial in the digital age to remain human.
Creativity is the act of turning imaginative ideas into reality. Therefore, being creative involves two processes: thinking and then producing or producing something.
Collaboration and working in a team, namely working together with others to make collective decisions and achieve common goals.
Interpersonal communication, namely the ability to exchange information, emotions, and meaning between people, which is carried out in the form of oral, written, non-verbal communication, and active listening.
Working in the gig/digital economy , namely being able to work in businesses and independent jobs that involve short-term contracts or freelance work, rather than permanent employment.
Adaptability and flexibility, namely the ability to adjust to new conditions, which is demonstrated by having a high level of adaptation in the form of flexibility.
Cultural intelligence and awareness of differences, namely a basic awareness of diversity, the recognition that workplaces and societies are becoming more diverse, and that this diversity is a good thing.
Ethical awareness, namely the ability to position ethics as a moral roadmap that provides us with tools to consider moral issues and guide decision-making. In the digital age, many ethical issues regarding the use of technology and data, such as the ethical use of AI and personal data, require ethical awareness.
Leadership skills , namely the ability to help others develop their full potential and help them grow. Leadership isn’t limited to top-level corporate leadership. The gig economy in the digital age makes leadership skills necessary at many levels of human interaction.
Personal branding and networking, namely the ability to build skills, experience, and personality that shape a person’s reputation and enable others to be interested and give them the opportunity to work and collaborate.
Time management is the ability to use time efficiently and productively, especially in a work context. In the digital age, people are overwhelmed by a variety of information and distractions, from gadgets, emails, and app notifications, making this skill crucial.
Curiosity and lifelong learning, namely the desire to learn and understand new things, such as understanding how things work and learning new hobbies. This desire to learn drives a self-motivated, lifelong learning journey.
Familiarity with and celebration of change, namely the ability to understand, manage, and navigate change.
Maintaining your own mental and physical health, namely by finding a balanced life, which means being able to separate work and non-work life, and feeling satisfied in both areas.