LinkedIn Skills on the Rise 2026: The 10 fastest-growing skills in Media and Communications

Our annual list of Skills on the Rise in Media and Communications highlights the 10 fastest-growing skills that media and comms professionals should be investing in to get ahead in today’s world of work. 

As the media landscape rapidly evolves, so do the skillsets needed for success. AI Literacy (No. 1) and Operational Efficiency (No. 4) showcase how professionals are adapting with new tools to maximize productivity and impact. At the same time, skills like Video Content Strategy (No. 5) and Social Media Analysis (No. 10) signal that social media fluency is becoming a key differentiator as the field shifts. The ranking uses the same methodology as our U.S. Skills on the Rise list, but reflects members within the specific job function versus the entire country. 

And these insights are just the beginning. You can read more about each skill and start honing your expertise through a related LinkedIn Learning course (free for all members until March 23). 

Check out the 10 fastest-growing skills in media and communications — and join the conversation using #SkillsOnTheRise. 

You can read our full methodology at the bottom of this article. This list is based on LinkedIn data and was produced by LinkedIn data scientist Yao Huang in partnership with editors on the LinkedIn News team (Juliette (Faraut) Bell, Sarah McGrath, Emily Bruck and Juliette Schiff).

You can also see the Skills on the Rise in Arts & Design, Business Development, Education, Engineering, Finance, Healthcare, HR, IT, Marketing, Program & Project Management and Sales.

What it means: AI literacy encompasses the ability to understand and effectively utilize AI tools and technologies for business purposes. In media and comms roles, that may also include the ability to understand how AI generates content and evaluate it for accuracy and authenticity.  

💡 Learn to leverage AI to amplify your communications impact (free LinkedIn Learning course until March 23)

What it means: Cross-functional collaboration is communicating and working with members of different teams across an organization — including clearly defining roles and responsibilities and working toward a shared goal. 

💡 Learn to drive stronger results through cross-team collaboration (free until March 23)

What it means: Brand storytelling involves crafting a narrative that helps audiences understand a company’s goals and values. It’s particularly relevant for communications professionals today as they differentiate their brand in saturated markets and build trust and credibility.

💡 Learn the fundamentals of articulating your brand narrative (free until March 23)

What it means: Operational efficiency involves streamlining individual, team or business operations to improve productivity and quality. By leveraging tools to reduce manual tasks and optimizing routine workflows, media and comms teams can focus efforts on high-impact areas.

💡 Learn to streamline operations and boost productivity (free until March 23)

What it means: Video content strategy involves the brainstorming, production and distribution of video assets in order to achieve business goals. It’s increasingly crucial in the field as video becomes a key pillar of any media or communications plan. 

💡 Learn practical strategies for winning video content strategy (free until March 23)

What it means: Project management is the ability to plan and execute a project or campaign efficiently and in line with business strategy. In media and communications, this might mean overseeing the development of a large content package or leading a brand launch event or social media campaign. 

💡 Learn the foundations of effective project planning (free until March 23)

What it means: Story editing is the process of preparing a story for publication by correcting and improving its content and structure. The skill is increasingly critical in today’s media age, as it allows professionals to present accurate and compelling content to readers, viewers and listeners. 

💡 Learn to strengthen storytelling with AI tools (free until March 23)

What it means: Client communication is the ability to interface with clients and stakeholders efficiently and effectively — conveying ideas and strategy while also building trust and maintaining relationships. 

💡 Learn to strengthen messaging with AI-powered tools (free until March 23)

What it means: Branded content development is the process of ideating, executing and publishing content that reflects a brand’s overall identity in an accurate and engaging way. It encompasses audience strategy, brand storytelling, channel distribution and more. 

💡 Learn how to repurpose content for greater marketing impact (free until March 23)

What it means: Social media analysis involves interpreting data from content on social media platforms — including performance metrics and audience demographics — and ultimately creating a strategic plan for growth on those platforms. 

💡 Learn how to turn analytics into actionable insights (free until March 23)

List Methodology

LinkedIn measures the year-over-year growth of skills based on two pillars: skill acquisition and hiring success. Skill acquisition measures the growth of a given skill being added to member profiles. Hiring success measures the growth of a given skill possessed by members who have been hired in the past year. Growth rates for all metrics are measured by comparing LinkedIn data from December 1, 2024 to November 30, 2025 to the same period in the previous year (December 1, 2023 to November 30, 2024). To be ranked, skills must have had sufficient representation and activity volume over the analysis period.

Data is normalized across all skills. Language skills, basic digital literacy skills and overly broad skills are excluded.