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skills & motivations.

This section provides a breakdown of the inherent skills, learned skills and motivations/aspirations for each skill cluster. Inherent skills and motivations/aspirations combined are commonly defined as “soft skills” in the market.

inherent skills

  1. 1. communication skills
  2. 2. empathy
  3. 3. patience
  4. 4. problem-solving abilities
  5. 5. people-oriented
  6. 6. adaptability
  7. 7. organizational skills
  8. 8. composure
  9. 9. culture sensitivity
  10. 10. negotiation
  11. 11. sales skills

learned skills

  1. 1. collaboration and teamwork
  2. 2. customer interaction platforms
  3. 3. documentation and reporting
  4. 4. feedback collection
  5. 5. issue resolution
  6. 6. product/service knowledge
  7. 7. training and compliance
  8. 8. upselling and cross-selling

motivations/aspirations

  1. 1. helping others
  2. 2. winning negotiations
  3. 3. professional growth and development
  4. 4. performance incentives
  5. 5. company mission and values alignment
  6. 6. stability and benefits
  7. 7. social interaction
  8. 8. challenging work environment
  9. 9. feedback and recognition
  10. 10. work-life balance
  11. 11. building relationships

what it shows


The chart here illustrates the sub-level of learned skills required for customer service in each of the 24 markets researched. The findings presented here are based on a combination of verified, normalized labor market data by market and granular, skill-based data sourced from professional social media networks and job boards, as well as career sites.

need to know

  1. Customer service is a skill cluster with a broad spectrum of skills valued across any type of job, although the core of the skill cluster is within effective communication skills.
  2. Relationship management and customer satisfaction are some of the most frequently recurring skills across all profiles.
  3. Customer service roles tend to slightly differ between the regions — for example, multilingual capability (individual language skills) are more popular in some regions.

skills supply.

what it shows


Skills supply data indicates the total number of individuals who have the skills required for customer service in each of the 24 markets researched. These figures are based on a combination of verified, normalized labor market data by market and granular, skill-based data sourced from professional social media networks and job boards, as well as career sites.

Use the chart to understand the availability of skills (“supply map”), availability of sub-skills (“skill type”), talent with recent job search activity (“active talent”), as well as the share of talent who prefer permanent or contract work (“preferred employment type”).

The AI filter can help you understand the ways in which talent supply has been impacted by the growth of AI.

need to know

  1. The customer service talent base grows each year, driven by the relatively lower complexity of skills required in this cluster. The market has seen approximately 1% of new talent annually, with a greater increase in transitions into customer service roles.
  2. Despite being known for high turnover rates, customer service professionals show average mobility, with only 16.7% of talent changing jobs year-over-year. This trend can be attributed to prevailing economic uncertainty.
  3. Only 1.8% of customer service talent possess AI skills, indicating that the development of AI tools in this skill cluster has been slower than anticipated across global markets.

skills demand.

what it shows


Skills demand data indicates job postings that require customer service skills in each of the 24 markets we researched. These figures are based on a combination of verified, normalized labor market data by market and granular, skill-based data sourced from professional social media networks and job boards, and career sites.

See demand for each skill cluster by market, explore demand for sub-skills within each cluster or view the job vacancy ratio (JVR) — defined as hiring complexity — to understand market competitiveness for these skills. The higher the JVR, the more competitive it is to recruit.

The AI filter can help you understand the ways in which skills demand has been impacted by the growth of AI.

need to know

  1. Customer service remains relatively resilient to current market conditions; overall absolute demand for customer service roles has been below the average for other skill clusters.
  2. Customer service jobs remain relatively challenging to hire across most western markets, although offshoring in markets such as Malaysia and India have grown more competitive.
  3. A significantly low share of all jobs within the space (1.5%) mention AI skills or tools, despite the high potential for efficiency improvement in those roles.

compensation.

what it shows


The data included in this graph shows the average salary brackets in U.S. dollars for customer service skills in the 24 markets examined by level. Compensation data is mapped and analyzed from combined sources providing current pay data.

Select the markets of interest to understand which salary ranges are considered competitive and in which markets you should recruit to stay within budget.

need to know

  1. Customer service remains among the lowest-paid skill clusters globally, with the lowest remuneration levels in India and Argentina.
  2. Growth in customer service talent pools can be attributed to rising minimum salaries across a significant share of global markets.
  3. Markets known for offshoring efforts, such as Malaysia, have experienced some of the most significant salary growth in customer service roles.

remote & hybrid working.

what it shows


Remote working data shows the percentage of job postings that offer candidates remote or hybrid work for customer service roles (noted as “demand”), as well as talent working preferences (noted as “supply”) in each of the 24 markets researched.

It is estimated that the actual share of remote/hybrid working opportunities is higher than advertised online. You can view the data by both skill cluster and individual skills.

need to know

  1. Historically, customer service jobs have been less remote-friendly, with only about 3% of roles being remote last year.
  2. In response to rising demand and employee preferences for flexibility, the share of remote positions has increased significantly by 54%. Despite this growth, remote jobs still represent a small portion of the total, at just 4.5%.
  3. A dramatic 306% increase in hybrid job availability brings the global share of those positions to 8.2%. This trend indicates that employers are actively seeking ways to attract talent by offering benefits that have become popular across other skill clusters, effectively tapping into global talent pools.

gender diversity.

what it shows


Gender diversity data shows the current balance of male to female employees currently working in roles that require customer service skills in each of the 24 markets researched. Findings are based on self-identified, normalized data from talent supply sources.

Use the chart to understand in which markets you are more likely to engage female talent with customer service skills. You can view the data by both skill cluster and individual skills.

need to know

  1. Customer service is one of the most gender-diverse skill clusters, with a nearly even split (48% self-identified female and 52% self-identified male) and a 12% increase in gender parity since last year.
  2. Only about 33% of all talent with AI experience are female, although the percentage is slightly higher for new talent, at 35%.
  3. When focusing on female talent, JVR changes are relatively modest and similar to those of male talent.

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