Communication skills in the digital age: Implications for future employment

Volume 3 | No 2 | December 2024
Lumturije Mehmedi Sinani
PhD candidate in Media and Communication, Faculty of Languages, Cultures and Communication, South East European University

Abstract

The role of communication skills is becoming crucial in the digital age, which affects the competencies needed for future jobs. This paper examines the views of employers and the future workforce on the significance of communication skills in a technologically advanced professional setting. For this study, we have used the European Skills, Competencies, Qualifications, and Occupations (ESCO) classification to analyze the communication skills. Hiring managers from different industries and recent or soon-to-be graduates entering the job market are surveyed and interviewed as part of a mixed-methods approach. The results show that employers strongly agree that having effective communication skills such as; Presenting information, Promoting, Selling and Purchasing, Working with others, and Using more than one language, are essential to professional achievement and career development. At the same time, the workforce of the future recognizes the value of these skills and demonstrates a range of readiness for possessing them. The study highlights how crucial it is for workers to continuously adapt and develop communication skills to match the changing needs of the modern workplace so that businesses and workers are successful in an environment that is becoming more digital.

Keywords: Communication skills, ESCO, employers, future employees, digital age.

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