UK skills on the rise revealed | 5 years on: How COVID-19 reshaped the world of work | The JARS guide to self-confidence!

Essential skills for 2025 and beyond: What UK employers are looking for

LinkedIn has just released its inaugural Skills on the Rise 2025 report, highlighting the 15 fastest-growing skills in the UK job market. As recruitment specialists, we've analysed these findings to help both employers and professionals understand what skills will be most valuable in the coming years.

The skills revolution: What you need to know

The LinkedIn report reveals a striking statistic: by 2030, approximately 70% of the skills used in most jobs will change, with artificial intelligence acting as the primary catalyst for this transformation. For organisations across the UK, this presents both a challenge and an opportunity.

By embracing skills-based hiring practices, companies can expand their talent pool by more than eight times. Meanwhile, forward-thinking professionals who invest in developing these in-demand skills now will position themselves advantageously in this changing landscape.

The 15 fastest-growing skills in the UK for 2025 📈

According to LinkedIn's report, these are the most valuable skills that employers are actively seeking:

1. Relationship Building - Essential for Account Managers, Founders, and Project Managers, particularly in Technology and Higher Education sectors.

2. Strategic Thinking - Increasingly valued for Project Managers and Directors who need to navigate complex business challenges.

3. AI Literacy - Not just for tech roles! Understanding and leveraging AI tools has become crucial across industries, especially for Software Engineers, Data Analysts, and entrepreneurs.

4. Communication - With hybrid work models now standard, effective communication remains paramount, particularly for Project Managers and Business Analysts.

5. Large Language Model (LLMs) Utilisation - Data Scientists and Software Engineers with these skills are in exceptionally high demand.

6. Customer Relationship Management - Operations Managers and Account Managers with strong CRM skills are being actively recruited across sectors.

7. Adaptability - From teachers to sales professionals, the ability to thrive amid constant change is non-negotiable in today's market.

8. Market Analysis - Founders and Product Managers who can identify trends and make data-driven decisions are highly sought after.

9. Data Management - Administrative roles are evolving to require stronger data management capabilities.

10. Conflict Resolution - Project Managers and Scrum Masters who can navigate team disputes constructively are in high demand.

11. Documentation - Business Analysts and Project Managers who excel at thorough documentation are increasingly valued.

12. Regulatory Compliance - Particularly important in finance and related sectors where staying compliant is business-critical.

13. Financial Planning and Analysis - FP&A skills have become essential beyond finance departments, extending to Project and Marketing Managers.

14. Social Media Management - Not just for dedicated social media roles, but increasingly valued across marketing functions.

15. Cold Calling - Despite digital transformation, traditional business development skills remain highly valuable, especially in tech and consulting.

What does this mean for hiring and career development? 

➡️ For Employers: The transition to skills-based hiring is no longer optional - it's essential for accessing the widest possible talent pool in a competitive market. Consider looking beyond traditional role requirements and focus on candidates who demonstrate these in-demand skills, potentially from sectors you might not have previously considered.

➡️ For Candidates: Whether you're actively job hunting or simply future-proofing your career, investing in these high-growth skills will significantly enhance your employability. Consider which of these skills align best with your career trajectory and seek opportunities to develop them through courses, projects, or on-the-job experiences.

Adapting to the changing employment landscape

As recruitment professionals, we're seeing firsthand how these skills are reshaping hiring practices across the UK. Organisations that adapt their talent acquisition strategies to prioritise these skills are gaining a significant competitive advantage in attracting and retaining top talent.

For professionals looking to advance their careers, the message is clear: continuous learning focused on these in-demand skills is the surest path to remaining valuable in a rapidly evolving job market.

Read more here ➡️  https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/linkedin-skills-rise-2025-15-fastest-growing-uk-linkedin-news-uk-yekpc/ 

Which of these skills do you think will be most valuable in your industry? Are you seeing demand for any skills that didn't make LinkedIn's list? We'd love to hear about your experiences with the changing skills landscape in the UK job market.

Share your thoughts in the comments below! ⬇️

Five years on 📅 We explore how COVID-19 reshaped the world of work

Sunday 23rd March marked five years since the first UK COVID-19 lockdown, a period which fundamentally reshaped our attitudes toward work, health, and community. While initially told to remain home for a two week period, as City AM noted in their recent coverage, "little did we know how much the ensuing months and years would have upon society as we know it today."

A seismic shift

When the UK government announced the first national lockdown, few anticipated the lasting impact it would have on our working lives. HR teams had to pivot quickly, drafting work-from-home policies while managing ongoing objectives - often while dealing with their own pandemic challenges such as homeschooling and illness, with the experience fundamentally shifting all our priorities. 

Between the first UK coronavirus case on January 31st, 2020, and the World Health Organization 's eventual declaration of the end of the global health emergency, government figures showed that 227,000 people died in the UK with COVID-19 listed as a cause on their death certificates. The human toll was enormous, and the workplace would never be the same.

Remote working is now (mostly) acceptable

Perhaps the most visible transformation has been the normalisation of remote and hybrid work. Before the pandemic, working from home was often viewed with skepticism by many employers. Today, according to the Office for National Statistics , more than a quarter of workers now operate in some form of hybrid working model.

The Independent's recent analysis of ONS data confirms this shift, noting that "just over a quarter of people (26%) now [work] in a hybrid situation where they work from home for part of the week." This represents a significant change from May 2020, when one in three people worked entirely from home, which has now settled at around one in seven over the past year.

Despite recent return-to-office mandates from major companies like Amazon and WPP, LinkedIn data suggests that while most workers believe some meaningful office attendance is reasonable, 50% do not want more mandatory office days than they currently have.

As CityAm put it, "Warnings of a permanent transformation of the workplace prompted scepticism from some at the time, but it's safe to say they were true. Once seen as temporary solutions, remote and hybrid working have now become embedded in workplace culture." This shift has democratised opportunities, allowing talent from across geographical boundaries to access roles previously limited by location.

HR's reputation has blossomed

When the pandemic hit, two business departments came under intense spotlight - HR and IT. Both were critical to ensuring workers had the tools and support framework to transition to home working environments, often acting fast while not compromising on key business concerns such as data security and wellbeing.

The complexities of managing remote work and constantly changing government regulations helped HR teams strengthen their skills. A CIPD /Workday survey in 2021 found that three in five HR professionals had upskilled or reskilled as part of their organisation's pandemic response. According to research from HR analyst Josh Bersin, most (53%) HR leaders are now in the C-suite, boosted by their responses to not just the pandemic but also movements such as Black Lives Matter, diversity and inclusion initiatives, and the shift to remote work.

Focus on wellbeing has improved

The pandemic dramatically elevated wellbeing on the corporate agenda. In 2022, seven in ten HR professionals told the CIPD that employee wellbeing was on senior leaders' agenda. By 2024, the same survey found that 53% of organisations now have standalone mental health strategies, and 43% continue to support employee mental health.

Recent research highlighted by CityAm found that "flexible working, paid mental health days and mental health check-ins all topped the list of employee priorities." This shift means that "employee wellbeing has taken centre stage, with businesses recognising that supporting mental health and work-life balance isn't just a moral responsibility – it's key to attracting and retaining talent in an increasingly competitive job market."

Long-term health and wellbeing concerns

The impact of COVID-19 on health has not disappeared. Sapien Labs ' recent Mental State of the World report found that many adults under 35 continue to experience diminished mental health and wellness. Similarly, long COVID continues to affect many workers' ability to perform their jobs, with a recent University College London study estimating that working days lost to long COVID cost the economy billions of pounds annually.

New data from the Office for National Statistics Opinions and Lifestyle Survey, reported by The Independent, paints a concerning picture of Britain's health five years after the first lockdown. The proportion of people reporting good or very good health has declined steadily since March 2020, dropping from 77% at the beginning of the pandemic to just 65% at the start of 2025. Meanwhile, loneliness levels have remained stubbornly high, with 25% of people reporting feeling lonely often, always, or some of the time in early 2025, similar to the 23% recorded at the start of lockdown.

William Roberts, Chief Executive of the Royal Society for Public Health , commented that these findings "come as no surprise" as the "lasting" effects of the pandemic continue to leave "many people isolated." He emphasised that "poor health is not inevitable" and called for a shift "beyond the NHS" to embed health into every area of society.

Mixed picture of mental wellbeing

The ONS data reported by The Independent reveals a mixed picture of mental wellbeing. While anxiety levels have moderated - dropping from 50% of people reporting high anxiety at the start of lockdown to the low 30s more recently - other measures show both progress and persistent challenges.

On a positive note, the proportion of people experiencing low levels of happiness has declined from more than one in five (21%) at the beginning of the pandemic to around one in eight (12%) by early 2025. Similarly, the percentage of people feeling low levels of life satisfaction is now comparable (9%) to March 2020 (8%), though it did peak at 16% during the second lockdown.

Jacob Lant, Chief Executive of National Voices, described these trends as "worrying" and noted that "the health inequalities surfaced during the Covid-19 pandemic are still present, and still very stark." This underscores the importance of addressing not just immediate mental health challenges but also the underlying systemic issues that contribute to these inequalities.

Workplaces are better prepared for change

The past five years have not only been marked by a global pandemic but by other significant events that have shifted the employment landscape. The accelerated adoption of artificial intelligence has transformed from simple chatbots to sophisticated tools that can write detailed reports in seconds and perform administrative tasks more efficiently than humans. Organisations like Singapore Bank and Klarna have reduced headcount as AI becomes more sophisticated.

It's hardly surprising that employees told PwC in 2024 that they feel there is "too much change" happening at once. But responding to the fast-changing rules that dominated the early months of the pandemic has strengthened HR's resolve when dealing with change and supporting employees through transitions.

Analysts at Gartner recently predicted that HR will need to be resilient to even more change in 2025, including shifts in worker demographics, new legislation such as the Employment Rights Bill in the UK, increased worker loneliness, and an uncertain future for diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Looking forward ➡️

As we reflect on these five years of transformation, it's clear that the employment landscape has been permanently altered. Organisations that embrace these changes - offering flexibility, prioritising wellbeing, and adapting to evolving expectations - are those best positioned to attract and retain talent in this new era.

As CityAm astutely observes, "Businesses are having to balance this shift with operational needs, workplace culture and future risks. The companies doing this well have taken a moment to breathe and go back to the drawing board, leaning on data and insights to make educated decisions rather than just moving with the tide." Their conclusion resonates strongly: "As businesses continue to navigate these changes, one thing is clear: the employer-employee relationship has been permanently redefined, and the companies that adapt will be the ones that thrive."

Share your journey: We'd love to hear how the pandemic has shaped your own career journey over these past five years. What positive changes have you embraced? What challenges have you overcome? How has your relationship with work evolved? Share your experiences below ⬇️

In today's competitive professional landscape, self-confidence is often the distinguishing factor between those who thrive and those who struggle. This guide offers practical strategies to help you develop and maintain professional self-confidence, even during challenging times.

➡️ Recognise your achievements: Take time to acknowledge your accomplishments, no matter how small. Keeping a success journal can help you recognise patterns of achievement and remind you of your capabilities during moments of doubt.

➡️ Develop expertise through continuous learning: Confidence naturally grows with competence, so invest in deepening your knowledge and skills. Commit to regular professional development through courses, reading, or mentorship opportunities.

➡️ Practise positive self-talk: Replace self-criticism with constructive and encouraging internal dialogue. When you catch yourself thinking "I can't do this," reframe it to "I'm learning how to do this."

➡️ Adopt confident body language: Stand tall, maintain eye contact, and speak clearly. Research shows that physically embodying confidence actually triggers psychological changes that make you feel more self-assured.

➡️ Embrace failure as feedback: View setbacks as valuable learning opportunities rather than personal deficiencies. Every professional experiences failure; what sets confident people apart is how they respond and grow from these experiences.

➡️ Surround yourself with supportive people: Build relationships with colleagues and mentors who believe in your abilities and encourage your growth. Distance yourself from those who undermine your confidence or foster self-doubt.

➡️ Set challenging yet achievable goals: Create clear, measurable objectives that stretch your abilities without overwhelming you. Each goal you achieve builds momentum and reinforces your belief in your capabilities.

➡️ Step outside your comfort zone regularly: Volunteer for projects that make you slightly nervous, speak up in meetings, or take on new responsibilities. Confidence grows when you consistently prove to yourself that you can handle challenges.

 Check out our blog for more career advice and tips! 

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