‘Conflict mitigation’ is now one of the fastest-growing workplace skills in the United States, LinkedIn reveals

Amid rapid technological advancements, return-to-office policies, and political and economic uncertainty, soft-skills like conflict mitigation are rising through the ranks as desirable skills for professionals. 

Skills needed for jobs are rapidly changing, with LinkedIn estimating that 70% job skills will change by 2030. In response, the social network identified the top 15 fastest-growing skills in the United States with its inaugural Skills on the Rise 2025 report. 

With a quarter of professionals planning on learning new skills, LinkedIn’s list pinpoints the most popular skills for both professionals and companies hiring.

LinkedIn identified growth on skills by measuring various metrics and comparing the findings from 2024 and 2023. The metrics included the increase of a skill mentioned in paid job postings, the rate of new skills added to users’ profiles, and skills of users hired within the past year. 

Successful collaboration is crucial in a tension-filled world

Landing second place on the list, conflict mitigation is set to become popular among various industries like higher education, consulting, and tech. By navigating workplace conflicts effectively, conflict mitigators generate successful collaborative environments.

Other soft skills on the list include innovative thinking, public speaking, and adaptability, with professionals prioritizing.

“You can teach technical skillsets but if you are unable to work well with others, listen effectively, collaborate with others, be respectful, be open to outside thoughts you will struggle,” one LinkedIn user commented on the list.  

LinkedIn’s report also notably accounts for the proliferation of AI use in the workplace, with AI Literacy landing the top spot on the list, and large language model (LLM) development and application scoring farther down the list. Here are the full 15 skills in order:

1. AI Literacy
2. Conflict Mitigation 
3. Adaptability
4. Process Optimization
5. Innovative Thinking
6. Public Speaking
7. Solution-Based Selling
8. Customer Engagement and Support
9. Stakeholder Management
10. LLM Development and Application
11. Budget and Resource Management
12. Go-to-Market Strategy
13. Regulatory Compliance
14. Growth Strategy
15. Risk Assessment

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