Top 5 In-demand Skills You Should Start Learning

No doubt, by now you've noticed the world of work is rapidly changing. With that change comes an opportunity for businesses to adapt and hire skilled resources to help them grow into the changes. For qualified employees or contractors, being at the forefront of a changing market is increasingly important, and it's through learning new skills that will help you get and stay ahead.

With online short courses and education so readily available, upskilling and cross-skilling is now easier than ever. If you're looking to ring in the new year with new skills, here are our top skills to learn in the new year.
 

UX and UI Development

In a tech driven and tech enabled society, designing the user experience and user interfaces of mobile and web apps and products plays a critical role in ensuring smooth customer engagements. With nearly 5.3 billion people using the internet as of October 2023 according to Statista, this skill set is essential to ensure customer satisfaction for the clients and users of public and private sector organizations, educational institutions, and businesses in general.
 

Web Development

There are currently over 1.5 billion websites on the world wide web today, and as that number steadily climbs, it's no surprise software development ranks as one of the top jobs in Australia. Because coding and technology impacts almost every life on the planet, it's easy to understand why web development is such an in-demand skill. Although the requirement for web development isn't new, we're in the midst of another tech boom, and there's a massive skill shortage. The good news is, learning to code can be done entirely remotely, and there are hundreds of viable online courses aspiring web developers can take. If you're contemplating a career switch in 2019, coders are undoubtedly hot commodities.
 

Data Analysis

Data analytical skills come handy in a variety of situations and careers, including within leadership and management roles. However, you may choose to specialize in this field and become a data analyst. This skill entails being able to visualize, extract, model, clean and interpret complex data to make is accessible for use by key decision-makers. This enables organizations to devise well-informed strategies.
 

Project Management

Project management is another skill set demanded across multiple industries globally. The demand for project managers is increasing and encompasses thorough organizational and methodical skills, risk management, relationship-building skills, and strong team management, collaboration, and communication skills. With tasks becoming more complicated, and teams becoming more distributed, the role of project manager is increasingly essential. As technology evolves to be more ubiquitous, work tasks are getting more complicated, and project management is the skill that keeps all the wheels in motion. Regardless of your role, learning how to manage projects is a skill that will serve you throughout your career.
 

AI (Artifical Intelligence)

A good list of in-demand skills would not be complete without a mention of AI. Artificial intelligence is a powerful technology that has been woven into the fabric of almost every industry and organization, and carries enormous potential.
Learning AI skills doesn't necessarily mean you must spend years studying to be a machine learning engineer or AI scientist; rather, it's essential that you upskill yourself in modern uses of AI within your specific work context so you can increase the quality and output of your work and apply it in contexts that enable it to help you achieve business and career goals.
 

Tax Accounting

Every year, over 3000 people all over Australia register to take our Income Tax Course. Coming from a wide range of backgrounds, participants include job seekers returning to work, employees looking to develop their careers as well as semi-retired workers looking for a rewarding challenge. Our Income Tax Course is also used by employers to upskill their internal teams.

As accountancy is an integral part of any business and taxes are a fact of life, it's highly likely this skill will remain in-demand. Like most professions, tax accounting is currently in the midst of massive change. With technology and automation reshaping modern accounting, there's an opportunity for accountants with experience in data analysis to step up into future roles.

If you're looking for a taste of working with numbers, H&R Block's Income Tax Course is a great way to kick-start your career goals. Under expert guidance, this course will teach you how to prepare tax returns and take you through a step-by-step process of preparing tax returns. Find out more about H&R Block's Income Tax Course or call 1300 730 016 today.