Top 15 Fastest Growing Skills that Indians Need to Stay Ahead at Work

As AI automates tasks, the skills that set professionals apart are becoming deeply human. Creativity and innovation (#1), problem solving (#3) and strategic thinking (#5) are seeing increased demand, not just in traditionally creative fields like arts & design and marketing, but also in business development and education. Similarly, communication is now essential beyond people-centric roles like sales and HR, extending into IT, consulting, and finance.

AI literacy is a baseline expectation across job functions

The ability to work with AI is a mainstay in today’s work landscape. With 95% of C-Suite leaders in India prioritising AI skills over traditional experience, Large Language Models (LLM) (#8), AI literacy (#9), and prompt engineering (#13) skills are becoming key differentiators for job applicants. While these skills have traditionally been associated with IT, their growing relevance in education and marketing highlights the expanding role of AI and tech fluency across job functions.

Customer engagement skills are in demand across India Inc.

As companies sharpen their focus on business growth, strong customer relationships remain a top priority. Customer engagement (#11) is a critical skill—with an increasing emphasis on customer satisfaction—across sales, business development, and marketing functions. Professionals who can help businesses build enduring customer relations and loyalty will have an advantage.

Here are this year's Top 15 Skills on The Rise in India:

• Creativity and Innovation


• Code Review


• Problem Solving


• Pre-screening


• Strategic Thinking


• Communication


• Adaptability


• Large Language Models (LLM)


• AI Literacy


• Debugging


• Customer Engagement


• Statistical Data Analysis


• Prompt Engineering


• Market Analysis


• Stakeholder Management

• Take stock of what you’ve got. Go back through your job history to do a skills inventory. Don’t forget to consider skills you’ve gained from other experiences including volunteering, sports clubs – you likely have more skills than you thought! This exercise will help you ID skills to highlight during your job search and can help remind you of skills that you would want to build in the future.


• Show off your soft skills. While many jobs require technical skills, skills like communication and adaptability are in demand and are super transferable across roles and industries. These skills matter to employers, so don’t bury the lead – members who list five or more skills receive up to 5.6x more profile views from recruiters and 24x recruiter InMails, and are 2.9x more likely to receive connection requests. Be sure to add your skills to your profile, and include context that demonstrates the impact your skills have made.


• Go skill surfing and get in growth mode. Identify the areas of growth – possibly around skills that you were missing for a specific job you want, as detailed in the job description. You can then check out your company’s continuing education offerings or ask for a stretch assignment in your current role. Take online courses like those offered by LinkedIn Learning, or take on a volunteer role for a local club or organisation. Don’t be afraid to try new things and get out of your comfort zone – you’ll be building your skills muscle.