New year, new skills?

Lisa Katz| Crain’s Detroit Blog

LinkedIn recently released a list of the hottest skills of 2014 via the official LinkedIn blog. This list was developed by analyzing the skills and experience data in more than 330 million LinkedIn member profiles and comparing recruiting and hiring activity that happened during 2014. LinkedIn identified the skill categories that belonged to members who were more likely to start new jobs or receive attention from recruiters. Here is a comparison of how this skills list matches up to the job openings in the Southeast Michigan region based on online job postings.

LinkedIn has often been identified as a tool for business professionals, with few skilled trades, retail and hospitality, and health care professionals signing up for free or premium LinkedIn memberships. This is evident in the top skills data. The 2014 skills list put out by LinkedIn leans heavily toward IT and marketing or business skills, with little room for other skills in demand. This is also evident when compared to the top 25 skills in demand according to WIN research of online job postings.*

Here is a list of the top 25 skills in demand in Southeast Michigan:

While Southeast Michigan has experienced a boom in the IT arena in the past few years, the region demands so much more than technology professionals. The WIN skills in demand list shows a heavy demand for retail, sales and hospitality skills and an abundance of skills related to advanced manufacturing and health care.

When Southeast Michigan skills in demand for 2014 are compared to national skills in demand, 19 of the top 25 skills are included.  This indicates the Southeast Michigan skills in demand are not necessarily unique to the region, but that LinkedIn acquires and analyzes information that is much more specific to certain types of occupations.

For employers attempting to recruit for a high skilled technology, marketing or administrative position, LinkedIn could be an excellent source of talent, but based on online job posting comparisons, LinkedIn has yet to capture the health care, advanced manufacturing, and retail, sales and hospitality market skills demand. This is likely due to the profiles of individuals creating LinkedIn memberships and the noticeable absence of employees within certain industries.

Local Michigan Works! agencies could help support employee search efforts in all areas, with relationships cultivated with many of the educational institutions and a direct connection to jobseekers of all skill levels across the region and statewide. For more information regarding local Michigan Works! agencies, visit michiganworks.org/employers/.

This blog post was developed with research and content from Tricia Walding, project manager, research & policy, Workforce Intelligence Network.