The era of soft skills: Russians focus on personal qualities in the age of artificial intelligence

Russians named the most valuable soft skills for development in the age of artificial intelligence. An overwhelming majority of Russians (73%) plan to actively develop their competences in the next 2–3 years, with many deliberately improving soft skills and preparing to become hybrid specialists. This trend is becoming key in the era of rapidly expanding artificial intelligence and robotisation. These are the findings of a joint study by the leading Russian online recruitment platform hh.ru and the II International Symposium "Inventing the Future", which will be held on 7–8 October 2025 in Moscow. The survey involved 2,644 Russian respondents.

The picture of the future that applicants themselves see clearly demonstrates the demand for digital competences. According to Russians, in five years the most in-demand specialists will be in AI and machine learning — as noted by 68% of respondents — as well as developers in cybersecurity (65%) and robotics and automation engineers (54%). This forecast directly reflects the personal plans of job seekers: working with AI tools (55%) and data analysis (38%) top the list of hard skills respondents intend to master in the near future.

However, Russians understand that technical skills alone are not enough. According to the study, the top soft skills to be mastered are critical thinking (53%), adaptability and stress tolerance (49%), and communication skills, including public speaking and negotiation (47%). Equal importance is given to project management and teamwork (44% each). Emotional intelligence (42%) and creativity (41%) also made the list.

"Both men and women plan to develop key soft skills, and this trend is typical for all age groups. This shows that job seekers are aware of trends and understand how the labour market is changing. In a context where routine operations are automated, personal qualities, soft skills — empathy, the ability to adapt to change, to negotiate and solve complex problems together — come to the forefront and become the main competitive advantage in job search," commented Maria Ignatova, Research Director at hh.ru.

Ways of acquiring new knowledge reflect the pragmatic approach Russians take to their own development. The most popular way remains self-study through books, articles and videos — preferred by 68% of respondents. Online courses are considered a development tool by 52%. Almost half (47%) expect support from their employer through corporate programmes, while 30% consider offline learning — at universities, colleges and workshops. An overwhelming majority (70%) are guided by conscious internal motivation to maintain their own competitiveness, while only 10% see the development of new skills as a forced measure due to the possible obsolescence of their profession.

"Based on the results of the study, we will continue to discuss scenarios for labour market transformation at the II International Symposium 'Inventing the Future' at the National Centre RUSSIA. This discussion will bring together scientists, government representatives, business and the creative industries to assess the main challenges and propose strategies to overcome them," said Alexander Molchanov, Deputy Director General for Development and External Relations at the National Centre RUSSIA.

The Symposium "Inventing the Future", the flagship event of the National Centre RUSSIA, will take place on 7–8 October 2025. This annual event, organised on the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, under the Decade of Science and Technology, will bring together more than 7,000 participants from the SCO, BRICS, Asia-Pacific, and Europe. Its outcome will be futuristic forecasts that can be tracked, discussed, and adjusted.