gettyIn today’s age of artificial intelligence, it’s easy to assume that mastering ChatGPT and other tech tools will give you a leg up in a competitive labor market. But as someone who has reported on the challenges of today’s workforce, one thing that I’ve consistently heard from experts and hiring leaders is that the qualities that increasingly separate top candidates from others aren’t just technical—they’re human.As AI becomes more capable, these experts say employers are looking beyond traditional hiring credentials like degrees, job titles and technical expertise when making new hires. Instead, they’re focusing on candidates with essential skills that can complement and utilize AI, but can’t be replaced by it. “It’s sort of an inversion of where we’ve been historically,” Brian Elliott, future of work strategist and CEO of the think tank organization Work Forward, told me. “We’ve usually valued the depth of expertise in a specific field of knowledge, and now it’s going to be more about the combination of experience and learning mindset and leadership capability.”According to a global LinkedIn survey, one in five professionals feel that not having the right skills is making their job search more challenging. To help workers better navigate the job market, I spoke to Elliott, as well as other workplace leaders and an economist, about the skills workers should be building right now in order to get ahead.Read here to discover why these experts say communication, storytelling, adaptability and curiosity are the top human skills employers want in a candidate—and how you can sharpen these traits to become a more competitive applicant. This is a published version of Forbes’ Careers newsletter. Click here to subscribe and get it in your inbox every Tuesday. WORK SMARTER Practical insights and advice from Forbes staff and contributors to help you succeed in your job, accelerate your career and lead smarter.Worried about your job security? Learn how to clearly explain the measurable value you create in your work, with tips from career coach Kathy Caprino.If you work a side gig that uses relevant skills, you may want to put it on your resume. Read advice on whether it makes sense to add it and how to explain a second job from executive coach Caroline Ceniza-Levine.Were you recently blindsided by a layoff? Discover the subtle warning signs and key steps to take to protect your career and move forward, with strategies from executive coach Caroline Castrillon.If you are starting a new job, find out how to handle the pressure and find success by defining what “getting it right” means, with advice from career expert Cynthia Young.GettyDeep Dive: Why Workers And Job Hunters Feel So Stuck In Today’s Labor MarketIn June, the U.S. economy added 57,000 jobs to the labor market, far fewer than economists expected and a sharp slowdown from May’s job growth of over 100,000 added jobs. While last month’s sluggish report may have been a shock to some, Laura Ullrich, director of economic research at Indeed, said the numbers are a clear reflection of the “stillness” we’re seeing in the labor force, where hiring rates, quit rates and layoff rates are all quite low. This “stillness,” according to Ullrich, has a different impact depending on where you sit in the job market. If you’re employed, then you’re likely to stay put at your current job because, depending on your industry, opportunities elsewhere may be limited. And if you’re unemployed, you’re likely met with challenges when it comes to finding a job because there are few new openings to pursue. Ullrich points out that current hiring levels are close to where they were 11 years ago, when the labor force had nearly 13 million fewer people than it does today. As a result, the percentage of people who have been unemployed for 27 weeks or more has increased to 27% from 23% at this time last year.When looking at June’s data, professional and business services led the pack with 36,000 job gains, followed by social assistance and healthcare. LinkedIn’s Head of Economics, Americas, Kory Kantenga notes that professional and business services is one sector that has struggled over the last few years, with many speculating about AI’s impact on the industry. But in a tighter interest rate environment, Kantenga believes that June’s report may show that “to some extent things [are] leveling out, and that’s good news for [professional and business service] workers.”After leading all industries with job growth in May, leisure and hospitality saw the biggest drop in June, with 61,000 jobs lost. While there are many predictions about what this dip could mean in regards to consumer spending, both Kantenga and Ullrich agree that one month of pullback data isn’t enough to draw major conclusions about the strength of this sector—especially considering its history of up and down growth. Overall, in a low-hire market where job growth is uneven across industries, Kantenga says his biggest advice to anyone who feels stuck is to do their homework and to research where momentum is taking place in the labor market.“You want to make sure that you’re focused on areas where there’s going to be momentum and you’re not just looking at what industry a company is in, but who are their clients,” he said. “Are their clients in industries and areas that have momentum? Because if there’s momentum there, then there’s going to be growth.”TOUCH BASENews from the world of work. A year ago, the common message among many business leaders, particularly those in tech, was that AI was going to wipe out jobs. Now, The Wall Street Journal reports that a new survey from EY-Parthenon found that the CEOs expecting big AI-driven headcount reductions has dropped from 46% in January 2025 to 20% this May. Due to President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, fewer U.S. companies are willing to hire international workers or sponsor their visas, reports Bloomberg. According to a recent survey, 29% of American companies this year said they were open to hiring foreign business school graduates, a decline from 33% last year and 55% in 2022.