Top Skills for Fastest Growing Occupations  

By Lainey Stalnaker, Data Analytics Writer 

The new year is, for many, a time to set new goals and prioritize personal growth, which sometimes means making a career change. DEW recently launched the “New Year, New Career” initiative, which aims to connect job seekers with critical information about the job market, employers, and in-demand occupations. With this initiative, South Carolinians will have a new tool to ascertain and evaluate the most valuable skills needed by employers, a crucial first step in advancing one’s career. For some extra guidance, this article identifies the top skills for the occupations projected to grow fastest through 2033.

Using data from the occupational information network (O*NET), the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has assessed the importance of 17 different skills for all occupations included in its 2033 employment projections. Each skill is scored between one and five based on its importance, indicating the relative necessity of a skill for a given job. [1] The 30 fastest growing occupations vary widely by educational attainment and occupational group. 11 require an associate degree or less; 10 require a bachelor’s degree; nine require a postgraduate degree, and together they span 10 different occupational groups. Despite their differences, these jobs share a need for many of the same skills.[2]

The most essential skill by far was adaptability, which is defined as the ability to adjust behavior and maintain composure in response to new information or changes, as well as an openness to change. Adaptability was the highest ranked skill for nine of the 30 fastest growing occupations and was in the top three for 25 of the 30 occupations, including healthcare jobs such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants, as well as jobs like logisticians and software developers.

Interpersonal skills ranked highest for six of the 30 occupations and was in the top three for 11 occupations. According to BLS, people with strong interpersonal skills show “understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others, leading to the development and support of effective relationships.” Interpersonal skills are of high importance for jobs such as home health and personal care aides—the occupation projected to have the largest numeric increase in jobs by 2033—and mental health counselors.

Problem solving and decision making skills, defined as the ability the identify complex problems, evaluate information and options, and implement solutions, ranked in the top three for 12 of the 30 fastest growing occupations, which varied widely. These occupations include solar voltaic installers, operations research analysts, and veterinarians.

Other highly ranked skills included writing and reading, which made the top three for 11 occupations, and detail oriented, which was top three for eight occupations, as well as critical and analytical thinking; mathematics; and computer and information technology. Figure 1 shows how many times a skill ranked first, second, or third for the 30 fastest growing occupations. Skills that did not rank in the top three for any of these jobs included speaking and listening; physical strength and stamina; creativity and innovation; project management, and science. Customer service and fine motor skills were each listed once.

 For additional insights, visit DEW’s SC@Work webpage, which highlights a diverse range of occupations, detailing projected growth in South Carolina, required education and work experience, and the most essential skills for success.

[1] Https://www.bls.gov/emp/data/skills-data.htm 

[2] The full list of fastest growing occupations can be found here.