Skill gaps in the U.S are aplenty and are found across different sectors including manufacturing, technology, healthcare, business operations, engineering, transportation, agriculture, and maintenance jobs among others.
Most skill gaps are found in the technological and manufacturing industries, where employers have a tough time hiring employees with the relevant skills. In the technological industry, most applicants do not possess the right technical skills required for the job they apply to. It does not help that these candidates are also not skilled in communication as well as leadership roles. The most common technical skills that organizations look for in potential employees are,
- knowledge of relevant programming languages such as Java, Python, C/C++, and Javascript
- software testing
- analytical skills
- ability to derive insights from available data
- database management
- effective communication
- ability to implement artificial intelligence and machine learning concepts
- critical thinking
- ability to work in a team
- data analysis using tools such as Excel, Tableau, Python etc.
Generally, most employers believe that workers lack soft skills such as good communication skills, teamwork, creativity, adaptability, ability to be organized,and the ability to form strategies. Another popular field where employees seem to be lacking skills is digital marketing. Digital marketing requires employees to be familiar with editing, the skill to understand what they sell and to whom they should sell, software and tools used for editing and creating content, writing, and creativity.
Across the agriculture sector, most new employees lack skills such as knowing how to use farming equipment, understanding environmental conditions and the crops most suitable to changing situations, and knowledge about different crops and their yields.
In the healthcare industry, most new employees are expected to possess basic technical skills such as the ability to use computers for data entry and to maintain records, soft skills such as efficient communication, leadership and strategy skills, clinical trials skills, and basic hospital management abilities.
