New Delhi: While advanced computer skills were in demand in most countries in Asia-Pacific region including India, people in Singapore preferred to hone their non-technical skills like story-telling, business English, listening skills and personal productivity as work-from-home became a new normal in pandemic times.
As per a report on top trending skills in Asia-Pacific region by online learning marketplace Udemy, people in India went for acquiring email etiquette and preparing for English proficiency test IELTS other than software skills.
The report noted that upskilling was a priority for many organizations before the pandemic but it has now become a business imperative.
Among various popular upskilling courses, ways to overcome stress and anxiety topped the chart. There was 4-digit percentage increase in consumption of anxiety management, stress management, and resilience skills on Udemy for Business. Meditation, mindfulness, self-discipline and time management were among other courses which saw an upsurge.
“Workplace well-being is even more imperative today. A study conducted in March and April of 2020 found that the mental health of almost 42% of respondents had declined since the COVID-19 outbreak began. This could explain why mental health skill consumption on Udemy for Business has been growing in industries with essential workforces,” the online learning aggregator said.
The findings are based on data from the learning behavior of thousands of global companies using the Udemy for Business platform and a survey of over 500 learning and development professionals.
The report revealed that hybrid roles are becoming a norm now with companies encouraging employees to build expertise in more than one subject related to their job function. The technical skills related to this trend, like software testing and infrastructure architecture, saw sizable growth in countries across the Asia Pacific region including over 5,200% year-over-year growth in Japan.
Collaboration emerged as another priority area as employees worked remotely from their homes.
As data literacy is the new computer literacy, Udemy saw large number of professional taking up courses in data analysis, data manipulation, and data visualization skills.
“Data literacy has become important for almost everyone. But those who can interpret data, draw insights, and also communicate those insights to stakeholders will be invaluable to their organization,” the report said.
“Clear understanding of dashboards, visualizations, and analysis will soon become a default skill set required of any office worker,” says Udemy data science experts.
Cybersecurity training was another key area people showed immense interest and took up short courses.
Image courtesy: UNICEF