The purpose of the article is to identify the skills needed by graduates of higher education institutions in the 21st century for successful employment on the labour market. Achieving the set goal involved the following tasks: identifying trends in the skills needs of the 21st century on the European and national labour market; establish a qualification gap in the skills of higher education seekers; justify the need to adapt the educational programs of national higher education institutions in accordance with the needs of the labour market.
 Based on the analysis of strategic documents of the European Union and analytical materials, modern trends in the labour market were identified. The skills required by the European labour market were established and the skills in demand in the national labour market under martial law conditions were determined. The advantages of understanding the trend of demand and supply in the labour market for different categories of stakeholders: the state, employers, higher education institutions and individuals are determined.
 The largest qualification gap in the skills of applicants of national higher education institutions was revealed, namely: cooperation; teamwork; emotional intelligence; productivity (time management) and justified the need to adapt educational programs of national higher education institutions in accordance with the needs of the labour market.