Critical thinking is needed in both a professional and private capacity. It is something most of us do on a daily basis, weighing up the pros and cons of any situation.
The world is constantly changing - what's popular today is "gone" tomorrow. Having the ability to assess a situation or interpret information, viewing all the different angles and outcomes in a fast changing world has to be of benefit both to oneself and to the people with whom one works. The saying "less haste, more speed," i.e., if you do things too quickly, it may take you longer in the end, has always seemed like good advice to me. Take your time. Study the information you have and don't be afraid to ask for more if needed. Get as complete an overview of any situation as you can before making a decision. And, even if your decision is ultimately proved to be wrong, at least you can say that you gave it due consideration as opposed to simply having a knee-jerk reaction to whatever you have been asked to do.

Absolutely. Critical thinking is needed in nearly any job anyone would want to work because without critical thinking, one is left behind in the "grey" with others like themselves. People, without critical thinking, tend to be less succesfull and have a lesser quality of life by having tougher challeneges they cannot take on.

Of course, it is not a "must", if you want to work in a box for many years to go and you enjoy shallow life, there are spots for these type of people as well.

Critical thinking, also seen as being the ability to remove all emotion from an issue and observe the facts objectively from afar to make a logical decision — is clearly advantageous for business.

I think it is needed because many job positions now require the individual to 'think on their feet' and make fast decisions often without seeking the approval of others, such as their boss for example, which in yesterday's jobs was possibly more the case. Of course it depends on the type of job, but I would believe in most jobs nowadays people are more critical thinkers, and feel that it is a requirement from both the employer and customer perspectives. Employers may also favour critical thinkers at the employment stage, as they will be hiring someone who they can maybe rely on for important business decisions in the future.

Yes. If rote learning and specific vocational knowledge are keys that open specific career doors, then critical thinking is like a skeleton key. The strongest argument in favor of critical thinking training is how complicated the world around us is rapidly becoming. Technology today has reached the point where you can begin a degree in one skillset only tor graduate and find the knowledge has become partially or wholly redundant. Without the ability to reason and critically adapt, one’s knowledge remains static and unchanging. Critical thinking is a crucial way to retain adaptability in an ever-changing world. We’re also surrounded by a vast ocean of information and misinformation. The capacity for critical reasoning allows us to filter one from the other. This skill isn’t just necessary for today’s jobs. It’s a necessary part of life.