Creativity, Problem-Solving, and AI Literacy Among Top Skills for 2025: LinkedIn Report
Still debating whether to enroll in that programming course you saw online? Now might be the perfect time to boost your skill set. LinkedIn has released its ‘Skills on the Rise 2025’ report, highlighting 15 essential skills professionals need to stay competitive in the evolving job market.
According to the report, the top five fastest-growing skills sought by Indian companies are
- Creativity and Innovation—ranked first, indicating its growing importance.
- Code Review—placed second, emphasizing the need for technical accuracy.
- Problem Solving—third on the list, highlighting its value across industries.
- Pre-screening—ranked fourth, essential for efficient hiring processes.
- Strategic Thinking—in fifth place, valued for business growth and decision-making.
Skills Mismatch in the Job Market
LinkedIn’s research reveals that
- 25% of professionals worry about lacking future-ready skills.
- 60% are open to switching industries.
- 39% of people intend to acquire new skills.
- 69% of recruiters in India report a mismatch between job seekers’ skills and those employers need.
Expert Insights
Nirajita Banerjee, LinkedIn’s Career Expert and India Senior Managing Director, emphasized that AI is transforming the workplace. As a result, soft skills such as creativity, strategic thinking, and problem-solving have become essential rather than optional. She also noted that AI literacy is becoming a standard requirement across various job roles.
Top 15 Skills on the Rise in India
Here are the most in-demand skills in 2025, according to LinkedIn:
| Rank | Skill |
|---|---|
| 1 | Creative Thinking |
| 2 | Code Assessment |
| 3 | Analytical Reasoning |
| 4 | Pre-evaluation |
| 5 | Strategic Decision-making |
| 6 | Clear Communication |
| 7 | Adaptability |
| 8 | Language Model Expertise (LLM) |
| 9 | AI Knowledge |
| 10 | Bug Identification |
| 11 | Customer Relations |
| 12 | Data Analysis |
| 13 | Prompt Refinement |
| 14 | Market Evaluation |
| 15 | Relationship Management |
AI and Customer-Centric Skills in High Demand
With AI proficiency becoming a must-have, skills like LLMs and prompt engineering are becoming major differentiators in tech roles. Meanwhile, customer engagement has emerged as a key priority, making relationship-building skills vital in sales, business development, and marketing.
Growing Importance of AI Skills
According to Malai Lakshmanan, LinkedIn’s Head of India Engineering, AI literacy is now a core skill. He highlighted the increasing demand for LLM and prompt engineering expertise in India’s tech sector. At the same time, software engineering fundamentals, such as code review and software design, remain essential for building reliable and scalable solutions.
