33 Key Skills Statistics Every Leader Should Know for 2025

Skills statistics highlight the rising importance of skills over degrees in shaping the 2025 workforce. As job roles evolve, businesses are increasingly adopting skills-based hiring to enhance productivity and adaptability in the face of technological disruptions.

This shift is driven by the demand for skills intelligence, emphasizing the need for continuous reskilling and upskilling. From soft skills to AI-driven assessments, understanding key workforce trends is essential for HR professionals and organizations aiming to thrive in the future of work.

In this article, we explore 33 key skills statistics to help build a skills-based workforce in 2025.

33 Key Skills Statistics Every Leader Should Know

Here are some skills statistics to keep in mind when developing the workforce:

Skills Shortages & Gaps

• 78% of Deloitte survey respondents say talent shortages are a top risk for businesses.
• 74% of employers admit they struggle to discover the required skilled talent.
• Just 39% of businesses expect talent availability to improve in the next five years.
• Employers have estimated that 44% of workers’ skills will be disrupted in the next five years.
• 81% of organizations surveyed by iMocha have stated they are dealing with a technology skills gap. 
• If left unchecked, a global skilled employee shortage of over 80 million roles can cost businesses $8.5 trillion by 2030.
• IT skill shortages can impact 90% of businesses, leading to $5.5 trillion in potential losses.

Skills-Based Hiring Trends

• 81% of employers used some form of skills-based hiring in 2024, a significant increase from 73% in 2023 and 56% in 2022. 95% of employers agree that the trend will dominate in the future.
• Compared to 2023, 51% of employers found it challenging to find top talent in 2024. While 30%of employers said it’s easier, 19% believed there’s no change.
• 83% of employees are likelier to stay longer with organizations that follow a skills-first approach.
• 28%of organizations believe less than 35% of tech roles will need skills-first transformation to stay competitive. 

Workforce Reskilling & Training Gaps

• By 2026, 70% of workers’ job types will cease, leaving up to 1.4 million workers to reskill. 
• 6 out of 10 workers will need training before 2027. However, only half of them have access to adequate training opportunities.
• 86% of the employees experience challenges identifying and showcasing their skills.

Growing Demand for Soft Skills

• 84% of employees and managers believe new employees must have and showcase soft skills in the hiring process.
• The top five companies promoting soft skills were IT/Telecoms (99%), Finance (89%), Education (89%), HR (88%) and Healthcare (85%).
• 22% of employees think soft skills can make or break a hiring decision. 18% believe these skills are essential for career development, and 17% think they can help differentiate similar candidates.
• In 2024, problem-solving was the top soft skill for IT professionals, with 21% developing it, followed by communication (14%) and relationship building (11%).
• 63% of individuals said receiving soft skills training positively impacted their performance.

Digital Skills & Emerging Trends

• 73% of National Skills Coalition Survey respondents admitted that expanding digital skills is a crucial way to enhance the economy.
• 90% of National Skills Coalition Survey respondents believe digital skills will be necessary throughout their careers.
• 92% of analyzed jobs need digital skills. However, one-third of workers don’t have the foundational digital skills necessary to enter and thrive in the current job market.
• Microsoft Office is the most in-demand digital skill across 15 countries, followed by Microsoft Excel and SAP applications. Germany has the highest percentage of job adverts mentioning Microsoft Office at 15.72%.
• Metaverse (7,137%) and Generative Artificial Intelligence (6,477%) are two of the highly emerging skills. 

AI & Workforce Readiness

• Employees are more AI-ready than leaders think. They already use AI regularly, are 3x more likely to expect AI to replace 30% of their work within a year, and are eager to upskill.
• Globally, 84% of employees receive robust organizational support for AI skill development, compared to just over half in the U.S.
• Nearly 47% of C-suite leaders believe their organizations are slow in deploying Gen AI tools, stating talent skill gaps as a significant issue.
• 46% of leaders have said that skill gaps in their workforces are a significant hurdle to AI adoption.
• Workforce transformations will remain significant because of quick AI adoption and global skill shortages.

Impact of Skills Intelligence on Workforce Transformation

• Skills intelligence can enhance the accuracy of hiring, training, and employee retention by 10% to 20%.
• Businesses can achieve 1.5x to 5x times higher transformation efficiency through skills–the first approach compared to the role-based approach.
• Currently, only 16% of companies consider green skills necessary for their workforce, but 42% expect their significance to grow within five years, and 21% plan to prioritize their development.
• 40% of career development champions are using skill assessments to validate skills.

Conclusion

Strategic workforce planning and data-driven insights are the core elements of building a skills-based workforce in 2025. These key skills statistics highlight the increasing demand for green skills, problem-solving, and AI implementation.

This sheds importance on the need for consistent upskilling. iMocha, an AI-powered skills intelligence platform, offers a way for businesses to navigate the trends through skills assessments, skills intelligence, and more. By providing AI-driven analytics, companies can make informed decisions, improve training programs, and decrease attrition.

FAQs

1. What are the biggest skills gaps in 2025?

By 2025, the largest skills gaps will be in AI, cybersecurity, and software development as companies face challenges keeping up with rapid technological advancements. The shortage of skilled professionals in these areas will hinder businesses' ability to innovate and grow.

2. How does skills-based hiring impact recruitment?

Skills-based hiring focuses on evaluating candidates based on their abilities rather than traditional credentials. This approach helps organizations speed up hiring, reduce bias, and hire talent that is a better fit for specific job roles, improving overall recruitment quality.

3. Why is there a skills shortage in IT?

The IT skills shortage is largely due to the fast pace of technological change and the high demand for skills in areas like cybersecurity and AI. Education and training systems are struggling to keep up with the growing need for qualified professionals in these fields.