Australia’s most sought-after job skills for 2015 revealed

Graphic design expertise is the most sought-after skill among potential job candidates, according to global freelancing platform Upwork.

The employment marketplace has analysed all of the jobs posted on its platform this year and found Australian businesses are after digital natives who also know a thing or two about Photoshop.

Graphic design is the most sought-after skill for businesses advertising positions on Upwork, closely followed by knowledge of WordPress and how to conduct research over the internet.

Photoshop, social media and web design all ranked highly on the list of Australia’s most sought-after job skills.

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The more traditional skills to make it into the top 20 were data entry, copywriting, administrative support and lead generation, suggesting Australian businesses are desperate for computer whizzes with a knack for problem solving.

Upwork’s analysis mirrors previous research by professional networking platform LinkedIn, which found the most sought after skills in 2014 were data mining, integration software and knowledge of search engine optimisation.

Margaret Harrison, director of Our HR Company, told SmartCompany while technology and computer skills are in hot demand, businesses still need to make sure they are looking at other skills when hiring new team members.

“I really think people still need to look at human interaction skills,” Harrison says.

“These skills are exceptionally important and needed in this digital age, but people need to be able to relate to the people they’re servicing. Make sure they have really good listening skills and communication skills. They also have to be a team player.”

Here are the top 20 most sought-after skills in Australia this year, according to Upwork:

1. Graphic design

2. WordPress

3. Internet research

4. PHP development

5. Data entry

6. Content writing

7. Adobe Photoshop

8. Web design

9. JavaScript development

10. Social media marketing

11. Website development

12. Search engine optimisation

13. HTML5 development

14. Adobe Illustrator

15. Logo design

16. CSS

17. Virtual Assistant

18. Copywriting

19. Administrative support

20. Lead generation