A new study reveals that employers are actively prioritising core human skills, including AI literacy, digital literacy, and confidence. EAs, PAs and other business support professionals are required to be strong on human skills, such as interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, ability to plan and organise, and how need to master AI literacy too…
A new study from MyPerfectCV® , a leading UK CV platform, finds that the rise of tech is making human skills the ultimate workplace commodity in 2026. As AI and automation reshape the workplace, many professionals fear that machines will replace human roles entirely. But UK employers are sending a different message: human skills are not only still essential – they’re becoming more valuable than ever.
The UK Human Skills Roadmap reveals that employers are increasingly de-prioritising formal academic credentials to focus on candidates who can bring not only confidence and communication, but also AI and digital literacy skills.
What are the key AI literacy skills you need now?
1. Prompting – it’s becoming the new coding: AI literacy has emerged as the number one in-demand skill across industries – defined by the human capacity to prompt tools effectively and critically evaluate their output.
2. Workers need digital literacy: According to FutureDotNow, over half (54%) of UK workers currently lack the baseline digital competencies required by the Government’s Essential Digital Skills Framework, presenting a major barrier to corporate AI adoption.
3. Attitude outranks academics: 68% of employers rate enthusiasm as the number one predictor of success, while only 8% prioritise the university attended or specific degree qualifications.
4. Work ethic beats experience: 36% of small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs) name a strong work ethic as the single most attractive characteristic a job seeker could have, ranking it above industry experience and qualifications.
The 10 human skills employers want in 2026
Across industries, businesses consistently highlight a core set of human skills. These are the skills that appear repeatedly in employer surveys, recruitment data, and workforce reports:
- Communication: Articulating ideas clearly and collaborating smoothly across hybrid or digital teams.
- Teamwork & collaboration: Sharing knowledge and preventing project bottlenecks.
- Adaptability: Adjusting quickly to new digital platforms, tasks, and priorities.
- Work ethic & reliability: Taking clear responsibility and maintaining quality without oversight.
- Problem-solving & critical thinking: Handling unexpected challenges that automated systems cannot anticipate.
- Enthusiasm & willingness to learn: Embracing new skills as technology evolves.
- Interpersonal skills & emotional intelligence: Navigating workplace social dynamics with empathy.
- Confidence: Presenting ideas clearly and taking decisive initiative.
- Digital literacy: Managing everyday workplace software, files, and communications safely.
- AI literacy: Prompting tools confidently, understanding limits, and applying human judgment to results.
The findings reveal that AI literacy is now deeply embedded within this human framework. Employers are looking for people who can work alongside AI systems without relying on them blindly, combining tech with independent human reasoning.
The UK workforce’s digital and AI readiness
Despite the widespread integration of automated systems, national data signals a steep learning curve for the domestic workforce: 54% of the UK workforce is missing basic digital skills. This means 1 in 2 UK workers cannot complete all 20 digital tasks in the Government’s Essential Digital Skills Framework, which covers communication, handling information, basic troubleshooting, and online safety.
Top traits UK employers look for during recruitment
When evaluating prospective hires, businesses are consistently prioritising foundational behavioral characteristics over technical backgrounds or formal degrees.
- Work ethic: 36% of employers highlighted this as their most desirable characteristic when hiring.
- Teamwork & collaboration: 28% of employers rank teamwork as one of their top sought-after skills.
- Candidate confidence: 24% of employers highlight confidence as a key CV strength.
- Good personality fit: 22% of employers agree this is a crucial factor in their hiring decisions.
Only 8% of employers highlighted academic credentials as the most important factor when hiring. The data indicates that, for many job seekers, soft traits are acting as a proxy for long-term competence.
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