UK 
United States
Today, LinkedIn has unveiled the Top Skills of 2016, ranking the skills most in demand through analysing all recruitment activity by employers in 18 countries worldwide.
The list was collated over a year, and the latest results highlight the sustained demand for tech skills.
In the UK, "Statistical Analysis and Data Mining" topped the list for the second year running,
New entrants this year show an increased demand for bilingualism – but not that of an exotic tongue; “Perl/Python/Ruby” and “Network and Information Security” were the computer programming languages that employers seek.
Aside from technical skills, according to UK recruiters the ‘soft skills’ hardest to find are: ownership, strategic thinking, communication and persistence.
61% agreed that soft skills are hard to locate, and that this limits their organisation’s productivity (56%).
The Top Skills of 2016 in the UK are listed below:
1) Statistical Analysis and Data Mining
2) Middleware and Integration Software
3) HR Benefits and Compensation
4) Web Architecture and Development Framework
5) Mobile Development
6) Perl/Python/Ruby
7) SEO/SEM Marketing
8) Network and Information Security
9) Data Presentation
10) Data Engineering and Data Warehousing
“Whilst some skill sets inevitably come and go according to industry shifts, our data strongly suggests that demand for tech skills shows no signs of disappearing any time soon,” says LinkedIn’s Head of Global Consumer Communications, Darain Faraz.
“We have also seen ‘HR Benefits and Compensation’ leap 18 places to feature in the UK’s Top Skills list this year. Our recent Work Satisfaction Survey found that only 40% of UK professionals feel fulfilled at work, so it’s reassuring to see that businesses are focussing on recruiting a winning HR team to ensure staff satisfaction is priority.”
