LinkedIn’s Skills on the Rise 2026 offers a clear signal: the skills shaping the future of work are evolving faster, and in more nuanced ways, than many of us expected. Beyond the headlines, the list raises important questions about how skills show up differently across roles, regions, and stages of change. 

To explore what this means in practice, we asked leaders from across our global organization one simple question: Which skill surprised you the most — and why? Their responses reflect diverse perspectives, shaped by different markets, clients, and workforce challenges, but connected by a shared focus on readiness for what’s next. 

What follows is a snapshot of what stood out and what these rising skills may signal for how we think about education, work, and the capabilities organizations will need to build in the years ahead.

Skills that Surprised: AI Business Strategy, AI for Business, Responsible AI, Client Engagement, Stakeholder Management 

“These skills show that we are past the 'fascination' stage and conversations have moved from ‘what can AI do?’ to ‘where does it actually create value and how do we scale it responsibly?’ In my world, from a revenue perspective, that shift matters because AI is no longer sitting in innovation budgets. It’s moving into core commercial conversations. Buyers want to understand the impact AI can have for them, governance, risk, procurement implications and long-term sustainability and most importantly security. Especially in regulated, high-stakes assessment and workforce credentialing, trust and security is central to winning. Also, responsible AI is a commercial unlock. It shortens sales cycles! 

I was also happy to see Client Engagement and Stakeholder Management. In the complex business-to-business (B2B) sales environments ETS and PSI operate in; growth happens because of relationships and cross-functional stakeholders aligning.  AI is going to continue to accelerate change. But we will always need disciplined go-to-market execution, strong stakeholder alignment and commercial clarity, that is what will turn all that capability into revenue! 

Skills that Surprised: Human-centered skills rising alongside technical skills 

What genuinely surprised me about this year’s list is how strongly human-centered skills are rising alongside technical ones. We’ve all been focused on AI acceleration and digital transformation, but what stood out to me is that communication, cross-functional collaboration, and leadership influence are climbing just as fast. That tells me something important: as work becomes more automated, the ability to align teams, translate strategy into action, and move people toward a shared goal is becoming even more valuable. 

In my role across the Americas, working across very different markets, partners, and stakeholder groups, I see this every day. The differentiator isn’t just technical expertise; it’s context, judgment, and the ability to operate across cultures and functions. Strategy alone isn’t enough. Execution alone isn’t enough. The people who thrive are the ones who can connect both. 

I also find the evolution of AI skills interesting. It feels less like a specialized capability and more like a baseline fluency now, similar to how digital literacy evolved over the past decade. The competitive edge isn’t simply ‘knowing AI,’ but knowing how to apply it in a way that drives business outcomes. In my view, the list reflects a broader shift toward well-rounded, adaptable professionals, people who combine technical awareness with human intelligence and business impact. That balance feels very aligned with where organizations are headed in 2026 and beyond.

Skills that Surprised: Effective Stakeholder Communication 

Effective stakeholder communication has always been a critical skill, but perhaps never more than now. With the AI landscape changing virtually daily, people must be able to not only understand how innovation impacts efficiency, effectiveness, and processes, but disseminate this information to a variety of audiences. AI literacy varies between and within organizations, so skillful messaging and communication is of the utmost importance. 

Skills that Surprised: Operational Efficiency, AI Engineering and Implementation, Executive and Stakeholder Engagement

Operational efficiency like logistic management have been undervalued and misunderstood for too long especially in management roles, but it is so critical for effectiveness and leading teams and projects. It provides clarity and structure and fosters a culture of quality. 

I am not surprised to see AI Engineering and Implementation but surprised with the level of specificity of the skills included, more technical and focused on platforms (e.g OpenAI API, Google Gemini, FastAPI). That speaks volumes as to the impact of these platforms in how people need to evolve in doing their work and what they need to learn and stay on top of. 

Executive and Stakeholder engagement were also surprising in the way they highlighted public speaking as a key skill which was a pleasant surprise, as although not all jobs require that people do public/external presentations, the ability to present to teams, small groups, in various settings is critical and supports opportunities for growth and evolution in roles and cross functional mobility. 

Skills that Surprised: Mentorship and Coaching 

I was most surprised to see mentorship and coaching here. It's always a part of leadership and management, but it's often an afterthought or a skill that differentiates a good manager from an average one. I'm glad to see it on this year’s list because I believe we should be investing more in our team’s individual and collective growth, finding ways to help them that may not just be about doing their job but fostering growth towards goals and building career plans. So, I'm excited to see that as an explicit skill being mentioned and on the rise.

Skills that Surprised: Growing interdependence between advanced technical skills and human capabilities 

Technical capability matters, but it is no longer sufficient without careful attention to responsible use, transparency, and alignment with human purposes. What is especially notable is the growing interdependence between advanced technical skills and uniquely human capabilities such as judgment, communication, and ethical reasoning. For education and workforce, this reinforces the importance of assessing and developing not only what people know, but how effectively they integrate technology with critical thinking and collaboration responsibly, and the continued importance of being adaptable in a changing world. 

Skills that Surprised: Executive and Stakeholder Engagement, Public Speaking 

One skill I was pleasantly surprised to see explicitly called out is public speaking within Executive and Stakeholder Communications. While communication has long been recognized as essential for academic and workforce success, public speaking has not been emphasized as distinctly as it should be when differentiating among communication skills. Intentionally cultivating public speaking skills from a young age helps prepare learners to become confident and effective speakers. It also plays an important role in expanding the leadership pipeline by ensuring individuals from diverse backgrounds are aware of this critical skill set and have opportunities to develop it.

Skills that Surprised: AI Business Strategy 

There is a lot of focus from executives on implementing AI in their enterprise and they end up being little more than efficiency gains. That is not a business strategy.  The same adage is still true today to focus on the customer and build upon a unique value proposition that helps your customer. There is 100% you can, will, and must leverage AI to deliver. Stop focusing on AI itself and be there for your customer – better, stronger, faster with AI.  

Skills that Surprised: Leadership and People Management 

The skill that stood out to me the most was Leadership and People Management. While this has long been considered an important skill, the fact that it remains on the rise today suggests that efforts—made for many years in Japan as well—to cultivate globally minded talent in companies and educational institutions will continue to be just as critical going forward.