Jobs/Appointments
Only 1 in 10 Global Workers Have In-Demand AI Skills—Study
Salesforce’s new digital skills survey shows that the vast majority of global workers think skills are more important than education qualifications or career background. Most people leaders (98%) believe the shift to skills-based hiring provides business benefits. Yet only 1 in 10 say they have AI skills — which is cited as one of today’s most in-demand digital skills.
This article looks at the survey’s full findings, based on 11,000+ workers across 11 countries, and shares new data on how the workforce perceives the role that generative AI will play in the jobs of today and tomorrow.
Eighty-four per cent of global workers consider the skills-based experience more important than a degree when trying to land a job in today’s market.
However, there’s a disconnect between the skills companies are hiring for and those currently used by the workforce. While 4 in 5 global workers report using digital skills in their day-to-day work, few report skills beyond collaboration technology, digital administration, and digital project management.
In contrast, today’s fastest growing and in-demand skills as reported by workers include artificial intelligence (AI) and coding/app development — but they rank among the least used in workers’ day-to-day roles.
The good news? There appears to be less fear — and more excitement — among workers about the potential of emerging technologies to transform the jobs of the future. This, paired with workers’ reported desire to learn new skills, suggests that companies can help close the digital skills gap by providing continuous, skills-based training to their employees.
A global movement toward skills-based hiring
The shift toward skills-based hiring is evident at all levels. Most (82%) people leaders surveyed said that skills are the most important attribute when evaluating candidates. Only 18% said that relevant degrees are the most important.
Over half of people leaders (56%) cite talent retention as a business benefit to skills-based hiring. Increased workforce diversity (48%) and knowledge sharing (46%) also ranked highly.
Additionally, most people believe that prioritizing employees’ digital skills development will have positive impacts on wider business performance, citing increased productivity (47%), better team performance (43%), and improved problem-solving capabilities (40%).
Leaders and employees agree on the need for AI skills
Workers are excited about emerging AI technologies like generative AI. Sixty per cent of global workers reported excitement about the prospect of using generative AI for their job. In fact, more workers were excited about its use in their workplace (58%) than worried about it replacing them in their job (42%). This is in line with interest from management: Globally, two-thirds of people leaders(67%) say that their company is considering ways to use generative AI.
Despite this excitement, recent research shows that while over half of U.S.-based senior IT leaders say their business is currently using or experimenting with generative AI, 66% say their employees don’t have the skills to successfully leverage the technology.
Workers agree that AI skills are important: Nearly one-fourth of global workers rank AI skills as among the top three most important digital skills right now. This number rises when asked about the importance of these skills over the next five years.
As needs evolve, workplace skills lag
Despite its importance to their future skill set, only 1 in 10 workers say their day-to-day role currently involves AI. A mere 14% say their role involves other, related digital skills like encryption and cyber security, and a smaller 13% claim to use coding and app development skills.
The industry indexing the highest for AI skills, specifically, is the technology industry, but even for this industry, less than a third of employees (27%) use AI skills within their roles today. Outside of traditional IT roles, this number drops further; less than 10% of those in healthcare (8%) and the public sector (6%) report they use AI skills in their day-to-day role.
The path forward is upskilling. Nearly all (97%) global workers believe businesses should prioritize AI skills in their employee development strategy.
Upskilling is critical across wide swaths of these emerging technologies. As a result of the rise in AI and automation, people leaders say data security skills (60%), ethical AI and automation skills (58%), and programming skills (57%) will become increasingly important in the workplace. When asked what ‘soft’ skills will likely be more important as a result, people leaders ranked creative imaginative skills (56%), customer relationship skills (53%), and leadership skills (51%) highest.
Fortunately, companies seeking to boost emerging technology skills and focus on skills-based hiring have something going for them — workers want to expand their limited set of digital skills. Nine in 10 believe that businesses should prioritize digital skills development for their employees.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Dangote Industries has appointed the chief executive of MTN Group Limited, Mr Ralph Mupita, to the board of its fertilizer business as it prepares to expand and list the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited.
The chief executive of Dangote Fertiliser Limited, Mr Vishwajit Sinha, confirmed this development on Wednesday ahead of the company’s initial public offering (IPO) on NGX this year.
Mr Mupita spearheaded the listing of MTN Nigeria’s on the Nigerian bourse in 2019, making it the second most valued company on NGX after BUA Foods Limited.
The South African engineer has headed Africa’s largest telco for more than five years after joining the group in 2017 as chief financial officer (CFO). Before that, he held senior positions at South African financial services group Old Mutual Limited.
Dangote Fertiliser produces about 3 million tons of granulated urea annually and plans to be the largest maker globally by 2028. To do this, it needs to expand its $2.5 billion complex in Lagos, and will start building a facility in Ethiopia this year.
Last year, the owner of the organisation, Mr Aliko Dangote, assured that the fertiliser business would list its shares on the local bourse like its sister companies, Dangote Cement, Dangote Sugar, and NASCON Allied Industries.
“In the next 40 months, our fertiliser business should generate $20 million in revenue per day. We are pushing hard. We expect to reach over $70 billion in revenue and possibly pay dividends of $3 to $4 billion. Our philosophy is to always think big,” he said when he welcomed some stakeholders in the Nigerian capital market to his $20 billion Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals in Lagos in June 2025.
Expanding regional trade could see agriculture grow to beyond $1 trillion by 2030, according to the African Development Bank (AfDB) and this creates a huge market for fertilizer firms on the continent, although the majority of farmers still struggle with limited access to finance, infrastructure and markets.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
An agreement designed to open new pathways for Nigerian and Saudi Arabian workers has been signed by the two nations.
It is the first workers’ recruitment agreement between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, opening the Middle East’s labor market to skilled professionals in the West African country across a wide range of sectors.
The deal, according to a statement made available to Business Post on Tuesday, represents a significant milestone in deepening cooperation between the two countries in the areas of labour mobility, skills development, and worker protection.
It aims to expand opportunities for Nigerian workers in Saudi Arabia while implementing measures to ensure fair and effective recruitment. It establishes a structured framework that protects the rights of both employers and workers, while regulating the contractual relationship between all parties.
Under the agreement, recruitment will be conducted exclusively through authorized and licensed channels, with an emphasis on transparency, compliance with applicable laws, and adherence to agreed standards governing employment terms, working conditions, and worker welfare.
It was signed on the sidelines of the Global Labor Market Conference 2026 in Riyadh by H.E. Eng. Ahmed bin Sulaiman Al-Rajhi, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, and Nigeria’s Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi.
The deal aligns with Saudi Arabia’s ongoing efforts to strengthen labour market governance and promote a safe and fair working environment, in support of Vision 2030 objectives to improve labour market efficiency and enhance protections across the labour market.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Fate Foundation has strengthened its board with the appointment of Ms Ayomide Akindolie-Igwe as an executive director with effect from January 12, 2026.
A statement signed by the chairman of the organisation, Mr Fola Adeola, disclosed that the appointment of Ms Akindolie-Igwe followed the exit of Mrs Adenike Adeyemi in the same role on February 28, 2026, after over a decade.
Under Mrs Adeyemi’s leadership, and through three successful successive multi-year strategic plans, FATE has become a regional powerhouse— reaching individuals across Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa.
Notably, she oversaw the strategic transition of our organization into three specialized divisions: The FATE School, The FATE Institute, and The FATE Giving, ensuring a holistic approach to entrepreneurship support as we expanded into research, policy advocacy, access to capital, digital and AI growth and so much more.
She was thanked “for her tireless service” and welcomed her replacement “as she takes the baton to lead FATE Foundation into its next decade of impact.”
Ms Akindolie-Igwe was described as “a seasoned leader whose expertise in the entrepreneurship ecosystem and the advancement of Small and Medium Enterprises will be instrumental as we scale our digital initiatives to reach 5 million Nigerians by 2030 and amplify our voices in policy advocacy.”
She has been working together with her predecessor during this transition period. The focus is on deepening stakeholder relationships and ensuring the continued execution of the organisation’s 2024-2029 strategic plan.
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