Demand up for AI and growth skills in marketing, study finds

AI literacy is, perhaps unsurprisingly, the number one marketing skill on the rise, as brands grapple with emerging technologies and implementing artificial intelligence into their work processes.  

This is according to LinkedIn’s Marketing Skills on the Rise UK data, which measures the growth of skills based on three areas. The first is skill acquisition – the rate people are adding new skills to their profile – the second is hiring success – which is measured by the share of a skill within members who have been hired recently – and the third metric is emerging demand – the increased demand for a skill in paid job postings.  

Marketers contending with adding new skills to their arsenal may feel under pressure with how fast things are changing, although the marketing fundamentals stay the same.

Indeed, the majority of marketers (72%) feel overwhelmed by how quickly their job is changing, according to LinkedIn’s marketing jobs outlook data from last November.

Demand for communication skills in marketing increasing ‘exponentially’, data suggestsIt’s unsurprising the majority of marketers (54%) believe AI will significantly impact how they work within the next year, considering most marketers (59%) are already using AI in their jobs.  

Revenue and growth strategies is the second fastest growing skill on the list, which makes sense given the pressure marketing teams are under to prove ROI and support the bottom line.

The demand for growth-focused skills may also be contributing to the shifting shape of marketing leadership. Chief growth officer and chief revenue officer roles are becoming increasingly prominent at brands, as previously reported by Marketing Week.

Resource allocation and budget management skills also make the list, highlighting the mounting need for marketers to optimise marketing investment. LinkedIn data also shows 90% of CMOs in the UK are prioritising demonstrating a strong return on investment to drive business success in 2025.  

Other skills on the list are expertise in campaign planning, B2B marketing strategy, community engagement and consumer behaviour analysis.  

Ecommerce SEO and data-driven decision marketing round off the list, tying into the wider theme of pursuing growth, revenue and delivering ROI.