Hospitality and retail workers could find themselves in higher demand when interest rates finally start to come down and encourage consumers to open their wallets.

SEEK senior economist Blair Chapman expects stronger hiring in consumer-facing sectors in 2025 as the widely expected rate cuts from the Reserve Bank of Australia eases employer concerns about sluggish spending.

"If we do see those cost of living pressures continue to ease and interest rate cuts come, then you can expect retail and hospitality demand to pick up in 2025," he told AAP.

Consumers are expected to open their wallets when interest rates finally start to come down. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)

Outlining his expectations for the year ahead, Mr Chapman said the jobs market was still stabilising following the post-COVID-19 pandemic hiring boom. 

Advertising on the jobs marketplace was weaker towards the end of 2024 compared to earlier in the year, he said, reflecting normalising labour demand easing from a very high base.

But hiring in the care economy, including jobs in health care and child care, was unlikely to slow down.

"That ongoing demand for care workers isn't going away and that's really continuing to drive employment - and that's going to continue well into 2025," Mr Chapman said.

With businesses keen to make the most of generative AI and other technologies, he expected demand for programmers and data scientists to grow. 

Hiring in the care economy, including health care and child care, is unlikely to slow down in 2025. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)

A survey of Australian business leaders released by KPMG on Monday revealed digital transformation, cybersecurity and AI as pressing challenges for the private sector in 2025.

Looking further into the future, skills gaps in areas such as technology and data science were identified as a top concern for CEOs.

LinkedIn career expert Cayla Dengate said "soft skills" would become increasingly important as generative AI continued to reshape the workforce.

"As business leaders look for core competencies that AI cannot easily replace, there's now more value than ever in skills such as communication, building relationships, creativity and complex decision-making," she said.

English teachers, fundraising managers and employee relations specialists all earned spots on the career platform's list of jobs on the rise, underscoring demand for soft skills.

English teachers topped the ranking, followed by food and beverage servers and travel specialists.

By Poppy Johnston in Canberra