What Future Skills Will Be Needed for Future IT-Professionals? An Empirical Study

Abstract

The currently EU-wide largest survey on the future of skills for Professionals in the IT sector reveals a new configuration in skill demands. The skill study differentiated between three sets of skills: Business, technical and Future Skills and surveyed IT and HR professionals from more than 300 organizations in 27 European member states to assess the importance of skills today and within the next three to five years. It took place in the Blockchain sector, which stands exemplary for digital transformation of economies. It turns out that participants attribute high to very high importance to Future Skills even when compared to technical and business skills. This brings up questions for new qualification pathways and strategies with a strong focus on Future Skills. The here presented study provides an in-depth analysis of surveys and research skill demands for IT professionals and an analysis of skill supply, which has been investigated through a multi-method and multi-stakeholder research design.