DIGITAL skills have fast become essential for communication and collaboration among businesses and professionals.

A new survey from HR solutions firm Remote has revealed some of the most in-demand digital skills in the technology sector.

Remote surveyed more than 500 employers and employees who work in digital-first or tech industries to determine which digital skills are in the highest demand and which they believe will be the most important in the future.

The research found that 28 per cent of employees and employers said that social media is the most sought-after skill among the top five most sought-after digital skills.

The group said that social media management skills were now crucial to businesses, followed by digital marketing (27 per cent) and software development (24 per cent), giving anyone starting their career in the technology space a good idea of where to focus their efforts.

According to Remote, the top five included proficiencies are programming, web, app development (19 per cent), and software engineering (19 per cent).

Remote also found that more than a third of respondents (37 per cent) said that software development would be the most important digital job in the future, followed by software engineers (36 per cent) and workplace managers (32 per cent). These roles are followed by digital workplace programme directors (26 per cent) and heads of automation (21 per cent), with advances in technology meaning businesses will need to find new ways to improve efficiency.

With just over one-fifth (21 per cent) of businesses not providing technology training, Remote noted that there is now an opportunity to become familiar with in-demand skills that can set you apart from the rest during the application process.

The survey asked respondents which digital tools are used within tech industries, based on those most commonly paid for. Adobe Creative Suite takes first place (with 29 per cent of respondents saying this was paid for within their business), and in a world of remote working, communicative tools such as Gmail (23 per cent), Slack (17 per cent) and Loom (16 per cent) listed within the top 10.

Jacob Schatz, head of automation at Remote, commented: “With technology constantly advancing, employers also have the responsibility to support their employees with improving digital skill sets. “Our survey revealed that nearly 30 per cent of employers use tools/software that is 11-15 years old, and 26 per cent of respondents don’t provide technology training… If you expect your team to keep up with digital trends your equipment and approach to internal training need to complement this.”

Digital skill sets continue to be in high demand, so whilst it’s important for potential employees to consider this when it comes to seeking opportunities, it’s also important for employers to support both their business and people by keeping up with digital trends.