AI skills have become the new basic requirement worldwide, according to the Skills Economy Report 2026 by SkyHive by Cornerstone. Competencies in AI and machine learning increased by +245% between 2023 and 2025, displacing communication skills from first place among the most sought-after skills for the first time. At the same time, the demand for skills in cybersecurity (+31%) and green technologies (+156%) is also increasing. Sustainable management (+180%) and expertise in renewable energy systems (+165%) also illustrate the dynamic green transformation of the labor market. Routine activities such as data maintenance (-75%), simple bookkeeping (-65%) or legal research (-28%), on the other hand, are becoming much less relevant.

Soft skills experience an upswing

Despite automation, soft skills are experiencing a significant upswing. Emotional intelligence (+95%), creative thinking (+18%), resilience and flexibility (+42%) are particularly in demand. There is also strong growth in skills that characterize a new understanding of work readiness - including enthusiasm (+999 %), independent work (+850 %), a careful approach (+780 %) and virtual collaboration (+220 %).

Hybrid roles are created

New hybrid roles that combine technical and human skills are emerging across all sectors. While profiles such as AI Engineers (+245%), Cloud Architects (+85%) and Security Specialists (+95%) are in demand in the tech industry, demand for traditional entry-level and routine jobs such as Junior Developers (-45%), QA Testers (-70%) and Basic IT Support (-55%) is falling. Similar developments can be seen in finance, healthcare, retail, logistics and manufacturing.

"AI is fundamentally changing how we work and what skills are in demand, but humans will always remain at the center of progress and innovation," says Himanshu Palsule, CEO of Cornerstone. "Our latest report shows that the demand for human and AI skills is now roughly balanced. At the same time, many organizations are still underprepared."

Mohan Reddy, Chief Scientist at SkyHive Engineering, also emphasizes: "The global world of work is currently going through an unprecedented phase of transformation as AI continues to change entire industries."

The data for the report is based on the SkyHive knowledge graph with over 40 terabytes of global labor market data from 200 countries and covers more than 50,000 skills.