Here Are the Skills You Need to Succeed in Tech in 2023

taken tech jobs a big hit in 2022. According to Layoffs.fyi, 424 tech companies laid off 120,253 employees in the first two months of 2023. But it might not be as bad as it sounds. “This type of realignment happens regularly, and oftentimes companies jump at the opportunity to do it under the guise of an economic downturn,” explains Rachel Bellow, a co-founder of Bonfire, a talent development accelerator for the emerging generation of women in the workplace.

“When we examine hiring and firing numbers over the past 24 months, we find that companies like Meta, Salesforce, Microsoft, and others have hired far more employees than they are firing, sometimes by a factor of 10.” But according to the February LinkedIn Workforce Report the technology, information and media sectors (down 41 percent) are the sectors that have experienced the largest declines since last spring. To remain competitive in these fields, job seekers must keep their technical skills strong.

Whether you want to remain relevant in your current position, survive a corporate reorganization, or secure a new position, the continued intellectual and emotional growth will benefit your career. We asked career experts and tech veterans to weigh the skills you need to succeed in tech in 2023. As it turns out, some aren’t very technical at all.

“As the world – and the way we work – has changed forever, the way we define concepts like management, communication and leadership has to move with the times because so many of our ways of doing things pre-Covid obsolete,” says workplace happiness expert Jenn Lim, CEO of Delivering Happiness and bestselling author of Beyond Happiness. “It’s time to remind ourselves that we can be wise How We choose to grow, evolve and retrain, and if we get better at something that automation will never replace—being human—then we’re likely to stay relevant and appreciated will always be there.”

LinkedIn’s 2023 Most In-Demand Skills Report is a solid starting point for assessing your experience and where you may need to improve your skills, but it goes beyond that. “Companies aren’t just looking for software developers; “They’re looking for developers who can bring their knowledge of finance, sales, operations, and cloud computing to the table,” says Lim. “Companies are looking for people with a range of skills.”

Twenty years ago people were told they were specialists, but that’s risky these days when a skill can be made redundant or automated. “To thrive in tech in 2023, talent must have T-shaped skills,” said Danielle Boris, CEO and Founder of Sandbox, an HR technology company dedicated to harnessing and motivating talent. “Employees should have a broad knowledge in their disciplines and a deep knowledge in an area, which makes them more valuable to companies, especially companies that continuously adapt their workforces,” explains Boris.

The current job market is constantly evolving and many employers have shifted to a competency-based mindset when hiring. “Balancing a candidate’s skills as much as a degree or prior experience sets the stage for millions of people,” said Andrew McCaskill, LinkedIn careers expert and creator of The Black Guy in Marketing newsletter. McCaskill suggests thinking of your skills as your “career toolkit,” highlighting the skills you already have and making a list to expand on those you don’t already have. “Focusing on a skills-first strategy can give you the confidence to navigate the job market, especially in turbulent times,” he says.

Like LinkedIn, Upwork released its list of Most In-Demand Skills for 2023 and data showing that 60 million Americans (39 percent of the US workforce) engaged in at least some freelance work in the past 12 months. Success for freelancers also means having a complete tool kit. “I developed most of my technical skills through self-study, through sites like the Microsoft 365 channel on YouTube, and through trial and error,” says Ryan Clark, freelancer at Upwork and founder of Mr. SharePoint. “The more quality skills I possess, the more marketable I become, so I always stay motivated to learn and be at the cutting edge of technology.”