The Top 10 Skills In Demand at the Top 10 U.S. Companies August 21, 2018 By Andrew Pelesh Read Time Strada Article Innovation in Wor... Career Connection Employers ... In May, Fortune released its 64th annual Fortune 500 list, which ranks the United States’ top 500 companies based on revenue. Combined, these companies bring in $12.8 trillion in revenue and make up a staggering two-thirds of the U.S.’ GDP. They also employ over 28 million people worldwide. Given the massive economic impact of these companies, Emsi wanted to know the top skills they are looking for in their employees. Are there any noteworthy similarities or differences between companies? How do the top skills at these companies compare to the top skills in demand by employers nationally? To figure this out, we took the top 10 companies on the Fortune 500 and explored which skills they mention most frequently in their job postings: Top 10 U.S. Companies This year, Walmart takes the top spot for the sixth year in a row, followed by Exxon Mobil, which has been on the list since it started in 1955. Coming in third is Warren Buffet’s holding company, Berkshire Hathaway, which pushed Apple down one spot into fourth. Health and medical-related companies hold the next three spots. And then we’ve got Amazon at No. 8, making its first appearance in the top 10. AT&T and General Motors round it out at ninth and tenth. Top 10 Skills at the Top 10 Companies To find the top skills, we pulled data from millions of online job postings and compared them by company from 2012-2017. This allows us to see how each company’s in-demand skills have changed over time. Here are a few key findings: Management is the No. 1 skill nationwide and is one of the top in-demand skills at each of the top 10 companies. Other top skills include: communications, operations, leadership, problem solving, and innovation. Many of these skills are considered “soft” skills, but are crucial in keeping huge companies functioning. Here’s a graphic to show which skills appear most frequently in these top 10 companies’ job postings. As you can see, management appears in every single one of the top 10 companies’ top 10 lists. Management is admittedly an extremely broad category, but it’s still relevant. It includes everything from the management of people, to financial resources, to products and projects, to operations, and more. Figure 1. The Top Skills at the Top 10 Companies, 2017 Now let’s look at each company individually and see what they are prioritizing. Walmart Over the past few years we have seen a considerable increase in Walmart’s job postings, with a particularly large jump in 2017. Unsurprisingly, the top three skills the retail giant is looking for are customer service, sales, and merchandising. What other skills are most needed? Customer service Sales Merchandising Sorting Palletizing Warehousing Asset protection Leadership ethics Management Mentorship Figure 2. Walmart Skills Over Time The Sankey (or flow) diagram above shows how Walmart adjusted the skills listed in its job postings between 2012 and 2017. This can often be an interesting look at how companies and their employees evolve. In Walmart’s case, the company is clearly posting more jobs, and becoming more sales and customer service-oriented. It’s also interesting to note the change in Walmart’s prioritization of leadership ethics. It went from being a top three skill from 2012-2015 to No. 8 in 2017. Exxon Mobil At Exxon Mobil, operations and management are critical. You’ll also notice a good mix of other soft skills like communications and leadership and hard skills related to the production of Exxon’s key product, namely valves, pumps, troubleshooting, etc. Operations Management Communications Valves (Piping) Pumps Leadership Microsoft Office Troubleshooting (Problem solving) Research Oil and gas Figure 3. Exxon Mobil Skills Over Time You’ll notice a spike in Exxon Mobil’s job postings in 2015. Lots of the following graphics will include similar spikes or dips in job postings. These can be caused by several things, including the company opening a new location, going on a hiring blitz, backing off said hiring blitz, standardizing how they post for positions so fewer duplicates show up, stabilizing their workforce, etc. In Exxon Mobil’s case, 2015 marked a year full of unusual postings. Most years, the company’s postings included mostly engineers, lab technicians, maintenance millwrights, etc. But in 2015, Exxon Mobil posted for a lot of technical writers, international lawyers, lab technicians, tax lawyers, and administrative assistants. Houston was the top location for job postings in 2015, which was also the case in 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017. But Los Angeles jumped several spots into second place and accounted for a huge increase in job postings in 2015—the same year an explosion rocked an Exxon Mobil refinery near LA. Berkshire Hathaway Also ranked as the fifth most valuable company, Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway dropped to No. 3 this year after reaching a record high of No. 2 last year. The holding company needs a strong mix of sales, service, marketing, and management/HR. Sales Customer service Selling techniques Management Communications Leadership Marketing strategies Negotiation Workers’ compensation Purchasing Figure 4. Berkshire Hathaway Skills Over Time Berkshire Hathaway is a bit of an anomaly. The job postings data before 2016 was too sparse to be useful, which is why we only included 2016 and 2017 data. Most of the skills in the 2016 postings are associated with an upsurge in real estate-related postings. This growth and investment in real estate is likely why Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices became the second largest real estate brokerage firm in the U.S. in 2017. Based on the job postings, management isn’t as much of a priority for Berkshire Hathaway as it is for some of our other top companies. But it is interesting to note the increase in demand for management from 2016 to 2017. Apple Despite being No. 4 in overall revenue, Apple is the most valuable and profitable company on the Fortune 500 with $48 billion in profits. In fact, the top four most valuable companies are all tech companies: Apple, Alphabet, Microsoft, and Amazon. Over time, management has emerged as the top in-demand skill at Apple, along with skills related to the production of Apple products. Management Communications Innovation Problem solving Operations Architecture C (programming language) Leadership Apple IOS Apple iPhone Figure 5. Apple Skills Over Time 2015 was a turning point for Apple. They focused their hiring to their headquarters in the San Jose area, and refocused on design and engineering instead of business and sales. In 2015, Apple’s revenue also jumped to $231 billion from $183 billion in 2014. UnitedHealth Group UnitedHealth Group’s job postings are dominated by management and always have been. And in general, the top six skills have remained largely the same, but the order now favors product-specific skills like Medicare and Medicaid as opposed to innovation and communications. Management Medicare Medicaid Communications Innovation Nursing Microsoft Excel Operations Managed care Leadership Figure 6. UnitedHealth Group Skills Over Time Like the other top companies, UHG’s top skills blend skills like management and communications with technical skills specific to the company’s services, like nursing and Medicare. McKesson McKesson is the U.S.’ largest pharmaceutical distributor with over 64,000 employees, so it makes sense that pharmaceuticals would be the second most popular skill. Again, notice how management has been the top skill at the company over the years. Management Pharmaceuticals Leadership Operations Order processing Communications Medical surgical nursing Home care Sales Warehousing Figure 7. McKesson Skills Over Time McKesson’s 2015 hiring spike is likely due to the opening of the $105 million proton therapy center that year in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro. McKesson Specialty Health, a business of McKesson Corporation, was one of three healthcare leaders that established the advanced cancer treatment center. In 2015, McKesson hired significantly more accountants, executive assistants, account managers, administrative assistants, customer service representatives, etc. CVS Health CVS had a huge year in 2017, including its $68 billion acquisition of health insurer Aetna. It also fully integrated its acquisition of Omnicare, a pharmacy specializing in nursing homes, and all of Target’s pharmacies and clinics. Perhaps this is why innovation quickly became the No. 2 skill. Here, management continues to be important, but we have also seen rapid growth in service and innovation needs at CVS. Service-orientation Innovation Customer service Management Merchandising Operations Inventory management Customer relationship management Sales Customer satisfaction Figure 8. CVS Health Skills Over Time CVS is a good example of why we shouldn’t necessarily associate job postings growth or decline with company growth and decline. While CVS’ number of postings decreased in 2016 and 2017, its annual revenues increased both years. CVS greatly reduced job postings for sales supervisors and lab technicians and instead focused on pharmacy technicians and clerks. So with CVS, the company didn’t slow its hiring because it wasn’t doing well. Perhaps the company simply stabilized its workforce. Amazon 2018 marks Amazon’s debut in the Fortune 500 top 10. This is not surprising as Amazon is the U.S.’s largest digital retailer with sales that have increased by $70 billion over the last two years. Notice the steady increase in posting activity over time, and how management continues to stay atop the list. Management Communications Operations Innovation Amazon web services Java (programming language) Software development Leadership Architecture C++ (programming language) Figure 9. Amazon Skills Over Time The graphic above indicates steady growth, which is consistent with Amazon’s rapid rise. With all that growth, there is tremendous need for good people to manage it. AT&T Unsurprisingly, the telecommunications conglomerate requires more customer-facing skills than many of the other top companies. But like CVS, AT&T still clearly values management, even if it’s less sought after than sales-related skills. Sales Customer experience Retail sales Management Communications Customer service Selling techniques Leadership Operations Merchandising Figure 10. AT&T Skills Over Time AT&T’s annual revenue dropped from $163 billion in 2016 to $160 billion in 2017—the same year the company posted the fewest jobs since 2012. General Motors Like Exxon Mobil, GM has been on the Fortune 500 list every year since the list’s inception in 1955. As America’s largest car maker, GM has surprisingly few car-related skills in its top 10. Instead, it’s dominated by management, communications, and operations—much like the other companies in the Top 10. These skills are vital to maintaining production. Management Communications Operations Written communication Leadership Interpersonal skills Problem solving Innovation Integration Architecture Figure 11. General Motors Skills Over Time As you can see, GM greatly reduced the number of jobs it posted in 2017 and focused more on written communication and leadership. In 2014, GM posted more jobs and had more revenue ($155 billion) but enjoyed fewer profits ($13.8 billion) than it did in 2017. In 2017, GM posted fewer jobs, had about $10 billion less in revenue, but nearly $6 billion more in profits. Top 10 Skills Nationwide Now that we’ve looked at the top 10 skills at the top companies, let’s look at the top 10 skills across all companies in the U.S. You’ll notice a lot of similarities. Figure 12. The Top 10 Skills Across All U.S. Companies When we explored the most frequently mentioned skills in jobs postings, we found that management, communications, sales, and customer service showed up the most. So not only are these skills important to the top dogs in the U.S. economy, but they’re also important across the board. Note: CDL and nursing are likely appearing in the top 10 because of the sheer number of job postings for nurses and truck drivers. For years, there has been an endless nationwide demand for truckers and nurses. Management Given the sheer size of the top 10 Fortune 500 companies, it makes sense that skills like management, communication, leadership, operations, and innovation are consistently sought after. After all, these kinds of skills are the glue keeping these giants together. Whether it’s recent graduates looking to break into the workforce or experienced workers wanting a career shift, management is clearly a critical skill to have. There is massive demand, and it will take you far in just about any industry. From auto manufacturing or healthcare to software and logistics, management is critical. Soft Skills Matter Also, notice that these top companies are looking for a lot of soft (or core) skills mixed with hard (or technical) skills. This mirrors the trend we’re seeing in the rest of the market. Yes, these large companies need workers with skills related to their specific products and services. But they also value the skills more commonly associated with the non-STEM degrees. It’s important not to discount the importance of soft skills like management, communication, leadership, operations, and innovation. If the job postings from these Fortune 500 Top 10 tell us anything, it’s that these skills are timeless, transferable, and valuable. At Emsi, we help colleges, businesses, and communities understand the skill needs in their regions. To learn more, please contact us or check out our new Company Talent Profile. Group 13 Group 11 Group 12 To create a PDF of the webpage, choose in opened window 'Save as PDF' option in 'Destination' select or something like that and click to save or print button. Got it Andrew Pelesh Learn More In the news from Strada July 24, 2024 Clear Outcomes: An Interview With Strada Chief Data Ecosystem Officer Jon Furr Education-to-employment data help individuals make informed decisions about college and workforce training. Strada Article Clear Outcomes State Opportunity... ... June 26, 2024 Mentors ease path to students’ first jobs Mentors in Tech recruits tech industry veterans from the region’s robust tech industry to mentor students at the area’s small, affordable, open-access colleges. The partnership between Green River and Mentors in Tech, or MinT, is supported in part by a $400,000 grant from Strada’s Employer and Community College Partnership Challenge. Strada Article Employer Alignment Our Priorities Quality Coaching Uncategorized ... April 29, 2024 Student Work Reimagined Through the Arizona State-led Work+Collective, more than a dozen institutions are injecting mentorship, career development skills. Strada Article Our Priorities Philanthropy Work-Based Learning ... February 21, 2024 Talent Disrupted: An Interview With Strada CEO Stephen Moret ‘Colleges and universities, states, and our country can do more to help prepare students for the critical transition from college to the labor market.’ Strada Article Uncategorized January 25, 2024 A Salute to Our Mentors The gift of time. A recognition of talent. A helping hand. How our mentors helped shape us as people and professionals. Strada Article Quality Coaching December 12, 2023 Community college, biotech companies partner to prepare students for careers At the heart of MiraCosta College’s Increase Diversity, Equity, and Advancement in Biotechnology (IDEA-BTEC) program, funded in part by a $400,000 grant from Strada Education Foundation, is a unique partnership between the college and two local biotech employers: Sterogene Bio-Separations and Open Biopharma Research and Training Institute. Strada Article Adult Learners ECCPC Employer Alignment Philanthropy Work-Based Learning ... November 1, 2023 Community college, dental insurer come together to address dental hygienist shortage The community college learning lab and dental clinic is now a newly refurbished space where dental hygiene students refine their technique on mannequins outfitted with realistic incisors, molars, and cuspids. The clinic was remodeled through a partnership with Delta Dental of Rhode Island and supported by a $400,000 grant from Strada Education Foundation. Strada Article Advocacy Employer Alignment Philanthropy Work-Based Learning ... November 16, 2022 Listening to Alumni About How Education Enriches Lives A rich mixture of skills gained in college improves post-completion outcomes for graduates Strada Article Our Priorities Public Viewpoint Research ... October 7, 2022 Strada Future Leaders Fellowship A 12-week internship for individuals who are bold, curious, motivated team players — and passionate about advancing equity. Strada Article Equity & Oppo... Our Priorities ... September 12, 2022 Strada Scholar D’Vontae Scott Delaware State sophomore accounting major eyes and a different career path after viewing a wealth of options. Strada Article HBCU Initiative Our Priorities Philanthropy ... September 12, 2022 Strada Scholar Jeremy Jackson Sophomore engineering ‘rock star’ learns to become a leader while following in the HBCU grad footsteps of his parents and brother. Strada Article HBCU Initiative Our Priorities Philanthropy ... September 9, 2022 Strada Scholar Keante’ Lewis As a natural leader, student embraces opportunities to work in her field and build campus community Strada Article HBCU Initiative Our Priorities Philanthropy ... September 7, 2022 Strada Scholar Imani Burke With a passion for writing and teaching, student seeks ways to teach while she’s still learning Strada Article HBCU Initiative Our Priorities Philanthropy ... May 13, 2022 Examples From the Field: University of Minnesota Rochester At the innovative Rochester campus of the University of Minnesota, our vision is to “inspire transformation in higher education through innovations that empower graduates to solve the grand health challenges of the 21st century.” Strada Article Beyond Completion... Our Priorities Philanthropy ... May 13, 2022 Examples From the Field: University of Oregon Ducks Rise: Empowering Underrepresented Minorities and Low-Income Students Through Research Internships and Intentional Student Experiences Strada Article Beyond Completion... Our Priorities Philanthropy ... May 13, 2022 Examples From the Field: University of Texas System Developing In-Demand Skills Among Undergraduates for Better, More Equitable Post Completion Outcomes Strada Article Beyond Completion... Our Priorities Philanthropy ... May 13, 2022 Fulfilling the Promise of Higher Education Access to college isn't enough. Neither is completion of degrees. It's time to focus on outcomes Strada Article Beyond Completion... Our Priorities Philanthropy ... April 7, 2022 ‘I Didn’t Know I Had All This in Me’ Credit for prior learning helped Loyce Shelley see herself in a new way — and complete her degree. Strada CAEL Article Adult Learners Career Connection Collaborative Completion Employers Equity & Oppo... Navigating Education On Purpose Our Priorities Engagement & ... ... March 2, 2022 How Local Partners Can Rebuild the Workforce Equitably Even before the pandemic, employers struggled to find the skilled labor they needed to fill jobs. Strada Article Connections to Ca... Navigating Education Advising Employers On Purpose Our Priorities ... February 23, 2022 Growing Fairly: How to Build Opportunity and Equity in Workforce Development The labor market in the United States faces seemingly contradictory challenges: Many employers have trouble finding qualified applicants for current and future jobs, while millions of Americans are out of work or are underemployed—their paths to living-wage jobs blocked by systemic barriers or lack of adequate skills. Strada Article Innovation in Wor... Adult Learners Career Connection Equity & Oppo... Navigating Education Our Priorities ... February 1, 2022 How Credentials Can Create Opportunity for More People The origin story of Grow With Google, like so many initiatives at the global technology company, begins with data. Strada Article Connections to Ca... Degree and Creden... Navigating Education Adult Learners Employers Nondegree On Purpose Our Priorities Research ... January 5, 2022 5 Ways To Integrate Career Connection Into College Experience Recent Strada research points to a striking disparity between first-year students’ aspirations for career planning in their undergraduate years and seniors’ actual experiences. Strada Article Connections to Ca... Navigating Education Advising Employers On Purpose Our Priorities Public Viewpoint Research ... December 2, 2021 4 Ways To Build Better Education-Workforce Partnerships More than 18 months into the pandemic, the employment headlines can seem like an algebraic riddle: If U.S. employers are seeking workers to fill 10.9 million jobs, how can 8.4 million workers be unemployed? Strada CAEL Article Connections to Ca... Employer Alignment On Purpose ... November 17, 2021 How To Make Sure Education After High School Is Worth the Investment Economist Beth Akers insists she’s not a college debt crisis denier. College is expensive — more than double the cost today compared to the 1980s. And too many students pay too much for it, she said, not only in relation to what they can afford now, but also to what they will earn after graduation. Strada Article Degree and Creden... On Purpose Our Priorities ... November 4, 2021 How To Set Students Up for Success After Graduation As provost and later president at the University of Utah, Ruth Watkins called out the “hollow promise” a university delivers to college students who have access to higher education but leave without completing a degree. Strada Article Connections to Ca... Navigating Education Advising Employers On Purpose Quality Coaching Research Research Team Work-Based Learning ... October 21, 2021 How To Better Serve Latino Students Deborah Santiago’s parents always made clear she and her three siblings would go to college. Strada Article Navigating Education Advising Lessons Earned On Purpose Our Priorities Engagement & ... ... October 7, 2021 How the HBCU Experience Builds Leaders Roslyn Clark Artis grew up in southern West Virginia, the only African American in her graduating class. The daughter of a coal miner, she dreamed of becoming a lawyer and applied to every public university in her home state, hoping to find an affordable route to college. Strada Article Connections to Ca... Degree and Creden... Navigating Education Advising Employers On Purpose ... September 22, 2021 6 Ways Our Conversations Are Shaping What We Know Strada CAEL Inside Track Article Connections to Ca... Degree and Creden... Navigating Education Advising Advocacy Employers Lessons Earned On Purpose Our Priorities ... September 8, 2021 6 Ways to Upskill Women for In-Demand Jobs Strada CAEL Inside Track Article Connections to Ca... Navigating Education Advising Employers On Purpose Our Priorities Technology ... August 25, 2021 How To Connect 2-Year Students to a 4-Year School — and a Career Nationwide, about 80 percent of students enrolling in community college say they intend to continue at a four-year college or university to earn a bachelor’s degree. But only 15 percent of community college students achieve that goal within six years. Strada Article Connections to Ca... Navigating Education Advising Employer Alignment Employers On Purpose Quality Coaching ...