Project Management Most In-Demand and Marketing Communications Fastest-Growing Skill Reflecting the New Way Top Companies Get Work Done
(July 17, 2019) – Business Talent Group (BTG), the leading marketplace for high-end independent talent, today released its second annual Skills Index chronicling the most sought-after on-demand consulting skills needed by top companies. BTG’s analysis, based on internal data from thousands of projects initiated by Fortune 1000 clients, shows marked increases in the fields of Marketing Communications and Manufacturing Strategy, as well as the extent to which America’s top businesses are leveraging high-end gig economy expertise to boost organization-wide performance.
BTG’s 2019 Skills Index, which ranks the 10 most in-demand consulting skills across all industries, the top 3 by industry, and the top 10 fastest-growing, points to notable trends shaping the economy at large:
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Marketing Communications’ jump to the top of the fastest-growing list (+750% YOY) reflects the growing importance of brand positioning and storytelling to bring new products to market in today’s complex media landscape;
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The spike in demand for Manufacturing Strategy (+367% YOY) signals the need for deft maneuvering to adopt the most innovative technology, from robotics and artificial intelligence to 3D printing and the Internet of Things;
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The high demand for Technology and Systems Implementation (the 9th requested skill for 2019) and intensifying requests for CRM, Data Science, and Business and Process Transformation skills reflect companies’ increased investments in new technologies and big data solutions to keep pace with rapid innovation and digitization across industries;
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The rise in demand for Cost Reduction skills (+250% YOY) and Business, Process and Organizational Transformation skills (+240% YOY) suggests management concerns amidst fears of an economic downturn and/or general business volatility.
While these shifts reflect the diverse ways in which companies are tapping highly skilled independent talent to innovate and execute, the Index shows that Project Management remains the most highly coveted on-demand skill for the second year in a row.
“Our proprietary data shows the F1000 increasing its usage of highly skilled on-demand talent across a wider—and deeper—set of industries, business functions, and project types than ever before,” said Jody Greenstone Miller, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Business Talent Group. “Leaders at the world’s top companies are embracing on-demand talent as a powerful way to acquire the skills, insights, and expertise they need to complete their most important work.”
Research shows that by 2020 45-50% of the world’s total workforce is expected to be independent as companies increasingly rely on high end gig-economy platforms to source highly skilled, diverse, and agile talent when they need industry and functional expertise for critical projects and interim roles. In fact, 65% of executives say the external workforce is important or very important to operating at full capacity and meeting market demands.
A breakdown of results from the BTG 2019 Skills Index are as follows:
Top 10 Most In-Demand Consulting Skills Right Now (Q12018 – Q12019):
- Project Management
- Market Landscape
- Program Management Office (PMO)
- Strategic Planning
- Growth Strategy
- Change Management
- Supply Chain
- Market Access & Value Strategy
- Technology/Systems Implementation
- Product Development/Product Launch
Top 10 Fastest-Growing Skills (2019 vs. 2018)
- Marketing Communications +750%
- Manufacturing Strategy +367%
- Post-Merger Integration +300%
- Cost Reduction +250%
- Business and Process Transformation +240%
- Organizational Transformation +220%
- CRM +200%
- Data Science +200%
- Product Management +133%
- Sourcing/Procurement +133%
Most In-Demand by Industry
Consumer Goods
Supply Chain
Project Management
Market Landscape
Financial Services + Insurance
Project Management
Market Landscape
Program Management Office (PMO)
Industrial Goods and Services
Market Landscape
Supply Chain
Project Management
Life Science
Project Management
Market Access & Value Strategy
Product Development/Product Launch
Private Equity & Venture Capital
Project Management
Due Diligence
Growth Strategy
Retail
Product Management
Project Management
IT Systems Strategy
Technology
Market Landscape
Project Management
Strategic Planning
About Business Talent Group
Business Talent Group (BTG) is the leading marketplace meeting the demand for high-end, independent talent around the world. Headquartered in Los Angeles with eight other offices across the U.S. and Europe, BTG connects leading companies with a dynamic talent pool of on-demand management consultants, subject matter experts, and executives to solve their biggest business problems—on-site or remote, part-time or full-time, individuals or teams, all around the world.
More than 40% of the F100 trust BTG to curate, vet, and deliver legally compliant talent that fuel growth, agility, innovation, and performance improvement in 39 countries and counting.
For more information, visit businesstalentgroup.com and join the conversation on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
Contact
Jennifer Napier
Business Talent Group
info@businesstalentgroup.com
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