{"id":5319,"date":"2024-05-22T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-22T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/education\/blog\/?p=5319"},"modified":"2025-04-24T13:08:53","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T20:08:53","slug":"new-idc-infobrief-explores-key-skills-and-tools-critical-to-ai-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/education\/blog\/2024\/05\/new-idc-infobrief-explores-key-skills-and-tools-critical-to-ai-success\/","title":{"rendered":"New IDC InfoBrief explores key skills and tools critical to AI success"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Technology is changing how we work, and AI in the workplace is reshaping the skills needed to be successful. With generative AI capturing employers\u2019 attention and rapidly changing job requirements, having the right skills and certifications are key for everyone from new hires to managers. Employers need a skilled, certified workforce to help fuel innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To better understand what skills employers are prioritizing, Microsoft commissioned International Data Corporation (IDC) to interview more than 800 business and IT leaders worldwide. The findings, captured in a newly released IDC InfoBrief, Thriving in an AI-driven Future: Defining Critical Skills and Tools as Jobs Evolve<\/em><\/a>,* highlight a need for not only technical and AI-related skills, but also human skills development. The report explores what skills and tools are most critical to success, targeting roles in IT and line of business (LOB) areas such as marketing, sales, HR, operations, and finance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Skills development has gone from an anchor experience in higher education to being an ongoing experience as part of the flow of work. Whether starting as a new graduate or an experienced professional leader, the end goal is to adapt and learn the most critical tools for driving productivity, business and organizational success. <\/p>\nAmy Loomis, Ph.D., IDC Research Vice President, Future of Work<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Read the IDC InfoBrief Thriving in an AI-driven Future: Defining Critical Skills and Tools as Jobs Evolve<\/em><\/a> to learn about the key skills and tools that are critical to success in the workplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key findings: Build proficiency in productivity tools and human skills<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As technologies like AI become more commonplace, it\u2019s increasingly important to build proficiency in productivity tools with generative AI embedded in them, including those that workers are already using.<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Bar<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Findings from the IDC InfoBrief, Thriving in an AI-driven Future, show three top technical skills ranked by the percentage of respondents for two groups: IT and LOB. The skills are ranked as follows: Microsoft Office 50% IT, 66% LOB; data management 35% IT, 39% LOB; project management 34% IT, and 35% LOB.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to the technical skills prioritized by IT and business leaders worldwide, proficiency in Microsoft Office<\/a> was ranked the most important technical skill for professional success across IT and business leaders\u2014significantly ahead of the next listed skill.<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Graphic<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Two statistics from the IDC InfoBrief, Thriving in an AI-driven Future, about applications to know for work. Sixty-five percent of respondents report Microsoft Teams is a top tool. Sixty-five percent of LOB managers report Microsoft Office is the most important for success for their teams.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, 100% of respondents shared that they use Microsoft Office every day for communication and collaboration, with 65% of LOB managers choosing it as the most important solution for the professional success of their teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Microsoft Teams<\/a> was also identified as critical. When asked about the overall ranking of the top 3 collaboration tools for work purposes, respondents cited Microsoft Teams as the highest ranked collaboration and productivity application for work purposes, with Microsoft Office also being in the top 3.<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Infographic<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Two bar graphs from the IDC InfoBrief, Thriving in an AI-driven Future, that list the important human and business skills for experienced professionals and new professionals according to respondents. The skills listed for experienced professionals are problem solving (49%), communication (45%), data analysis (44%), organizational skills (42%), and flexibility (42%). The skills listed for new professionals are flexibility (42%), creative problem solving (41%), creativity (35%), organizational skills (34%), and problem solving (34%).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to having working knowledge of Microsoft Office and Microsoft Teams, experienced professionals and managers indicated that future success in new hires requires human and business skills such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n