With hybrid workforces (where some employees work remotely and others at the office) now seen as a permanent part of the employment landscape by 89% of British employers recently surveyed* job advertisements are requesting more people-focused skills for technical roles and, conversely, more technical, and data-handling proficiencies for administrative and marketing job functions.

Based on an analysis of all online job postings here in the UK during the period of December 2019 through until November 2020, examples of these new hybrid skill sets are impacting technical roles include:

Technology

• +52% in system administrators required to satisfy customers
• +51% in software developers who are able to establish customer rapport
• +42% in web and multimedia developers who can provide customer follow-up

Finance & Accounting

• +100% in finance and insurance clerks with CRM abilities
• +46% in securities and finance dealers required to establish customer rapport
• +25% in management and organisational analysts to apply conceptual thinking

Conversely, for more traditionally ‘people-focused’ roles, there has been an even greater uptick in demand for technical skills, with examples including:

Office, HR and Secretarial

• +82% in demand for general office clerks with business process skills
• +50% in administrative and executive secretaries with business intelligence skills
• +23% in enquiry Clerks with database management capabilities

Marketing, Advertising and Communications

• More than triple the demand (+208%) for advertising and public relations managers with software configuration skills
• Nearly double the demand (+90%) for advertising and public relations managers with CSS skills
• +71% in sales and marketing managers who can apply information security policies

“Whilst always sought-after, many of the above-referenced skills have definitely seen an uptick in demand over recent months as companies swiftly adapted to remote work and adopted both new technologies and processes in response to COVID-19,” said Matt Weston, Managing Director of Robert Half UK, in announcing today’s research results.

“Three of the top business priorities for the first half of 2021 amongst General Managers we recently surveyed include talent management (44%), identifying new opportunities for business growth (42%) and investing in new technologies (41%). This combination of talent, business growth, and new technologies is not only informing recovery strategies for many companies at this stage of the pandemic but is also directly translating into new-look job descriptions and evolving skill sets. As much as the ‘anywhere workforce’ is likely to be a permanent part of the employment landscape moving forward, so too is demand for these new hybrid skills.”

“The skills employers need are not only evolving rapidly but also reshaping and combining in new and often unexpected ways. Just a few years ago, no one would have thought advertising and marketing managers would need to configure software, or that software developers would need the skills to build rapport with customers. But advancing technology is creating both new opportunities for workers and new challenges for employers trying to fill roles,” adds Matt Sigelman, CEO of Burning Glass Technologies.

 Matt Weston, Managing Director of Robert Half UK, concludes: “From a skills evolution and demand perspective, COVID-19 can be seen as the ultimate disruptor and accelerator. With one recent report estimating that 21 million UK workers will need basic digital skills and 14 million enhanced interpersonal and advanced communications skills by 2030, the time to take constructive steps in developing hybrid skills is now – particularly for those companies eager to the more resilient, adaptable, and agile workforces needed for their pandemic recovery efforts.”

Specific to HR, Matt added: “Even before the pandemic, HR departments were leaning more on tools like performance analytics, which required digital skills. But now, with so many people suddenly being forced to work remotely, almost every part of the job has to be done digitally, meaning that skills like data analysis, CRM system proficiency, and so on have become far more important. And the genie isn’t going back in the bottle – having invested in these tools, as well as newer ones like Hubstaff and Axure, businesses will be looking to get maximum value out of them which means we’re only going to see more demand for digitally literate employees moving forwards.”

*Robert Half