John is an unemployed recent graduate, currently looking for a job across various fields and hasn’t been able to secure one yet. He has soft skills around communication, writing, data management and many others, but still finds it difficult to find his feet in the job market. Jennifer, on the other hand is employed but her 9-5 doesn’t give her a pay equivalent to the amount of work she puts in. She feels drained from her job because she barely has time for herself or at least, a flexible work schedule.
Many individuals usually fall within the categories of either John or Jennifer. We seem stuck–looking for a job or even an alternative to our current jobs and if you’re here, you’ve come to the right place.
Since 2020, a lot of jobs and businesses became partly or fully remote and this changed the landscape of the job ecosystem globally. Opportunities that weren’t available remotely are now being demanded for.
It’s the beginning of the year again and you probably made a resolution to learn a tech skill so you don’t become a John or Jennifer. In this article, we’ll be outlining 5 remote skills you should learn in 2026.
- VIRTUAL ASSISTANCE
Every day, more companies and individuals are beginning to outsource their email handling, calendar management, and basic administrative tasks to other individuals, remotely. These individuals are known as VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS (VA’s).
As a VA, you’re tasked with the responsibility of proactive problem solving and effective communication. You’re expected to properly and swiftly handle your clients emails, schedule meetings, help them organize their travel itinerary and any other tasks that they need you to handle. If you’re someone who is organizing tasks, is good at oral and written communication and is very proactive then this might just be your pick.
You’re also required to have a basic knowledge of tools like Calendly, Trello, Asana, Google Suite, Google Docs, Gmail, Canva, Google Slides or MS Powerpoint, Slack and other related tools.
2. CUSTOMER SUPPORT
Customer feedback is the pillar of innovation for any company that intends to scale and as such, many companies are increasingly demanding the services of customer support specialists. In this role, you’re required to handle or report customer complaints or challenges in the stead of your employers. You serve as a bridge between a company and its customers–hence, you play a crucial role in the growth and development of the company. Your problem solving abilities, attention to details, excellent communication skills, swift response, proper documentation skills and patience are required to thrive in this role.
Tools required for this role include; Headset with microphone, Zendesk or Freshdesk (ticketing system), Slack or Microsoft Teams, Google Docs/Sheets, Gmail or Outlook, LiveChat or Intercom (chat support).
3. SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT
Social media has gradually morphed from being just a tool for entertainment to a vehicle for individual branding and company marketing and growth—hence, the demand for social media managers is exponentially increasing and so is the demand for remote skilled professionals.
This role demands that you have skills like excellent communication skills, a firm understanding of language and diction, ability to follow up trends and recent events, proper understanding of Search Engine Optimization(SEO). Basically you’ll create and schedule posts across platforms (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok) ,write captions that engage audiences and drive action, respond to comments and messages promptly , track basic analytics and report on performance, research trending topics and hashtags in your client’s niche, design simple graphics using templates.
Tools recommended here include: Canva (graphic design), Buffer or Later (post scheduling), Meta Business Suite (Facebook/Instagram management), Google Sheets (content calendar), a smartphone with good camera. native social media apps (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok).
4. DATA ANALYSIS AND MANAGEMENT
At the end of every year, companies like Spotify, Apple music, Cowrywise and Youtube always publish an annual analysis of the interaction of their users with their software, popularly known as a yearly “WRAPPED”. This is one of the most popular examples of data analysis (done by Data Analysts) and this role is becoming increasingly remote. Here, you are responsible for inputting data from various sources into databases or spreadsheets, cleaning and organizing existing data for accuracy, creating and maintaining spreadsheets with formulas and formatting, generating basic reports and charts from data, verifying data accuracy and fixing errors and transferring information between different systems.
Some tools required include: Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets, Google Drive or Dropbox, Airtable (database management), Typing.com (speed practice), PDF reader (Adobe Acrobat).
5. CONTENT WRITING
Content is the backbone of digital marketing. Businesses need blog posts, website copies, product descriptions, email newsletters and more. Good writers who can tell the stories of various brands are always in demand and moreso, virtually. As a content writer, you’ll write blog posts on various topics for different industries, create product descriptions for e-commerce sites, draft email newsletters and marketing copy, write website content (about pages, service descriptions), research topics and incorporate SEO keywords naturally, edit and proofread content for clarity and grammar.
Some tools required are : Google Docs or Microsoft Word, Grammarly (grammar checker), Hemingway Editor (readability), Google Keyword Planner (SEO research), Ubersuggest or Answer the Public (content ideas), Medium or WordPress (portfolio).
WHAT NEXT?
After reading this article, doing further research and assessing your strengths and weaknesses, you can now make an informed decision on what remote skills to learn in 2026. If you don’t want to be like John or Jennifer this year, ,make a decision to learn one of these skills so you won’t be stuck like last year, and make that decision as soon as possible.
If you’re interested in learning any of these skills mentioned above, reach out to us for more information on how to start your remote work career and we would be glad to help.
Also, if you found this informative and helpful, ensure you keep up with our blog for more articles on remote work and how you can get better in your remote career.