Developing soft-skills for the future workforce – Digital Journal

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Office block near Southwark, London. Image by Tim Sandle

According to research conducted by Harvard University and Stanford Research Center, 85 percent of career success comes from having well-developed soft skills, with hard skills accounting for just 15 percent of the ‘human capital’. To add to this finding, the Future of Jobs Report by the World Economic Forum ranked empathy, agility, creative thinking and active listening among the most important skills for workers embarking on their career paths in 2023.

Much of the world is characterized by rapid technological advancements, automation, and shifting dynamics. Within this framework, the ability to effectively communicate, collaborate, and adapt has arguably become increasingly important within businesses.

In terms of more specific and related research, Business Name Generator’s ‘The Future of Soft Skills in the Workplace’ survey has unveiled the skills IT and Telecoms employees and businesses value the most in 2023, and how the integration of new technologies is impacting this.

The survey revealed that whilst IT and Telecoms companies saw the highest percentage of those planning to use AI technology at present or in the future (94 percent), this industry also saw the highest percentage of those who agreed that it’s important for new employees to possess soft skills and demonstrate this in the hiring process (99 percent).

Within the IT and Telecoms industries, the survey found the most highly valued soft skills were found to be:

1. Creativity (26 percent)

2. Problem-solving (24 percent)

3. Leadership (21 percent)

4. Attention to detail (21 percent)

5. Networking (21 percent)

There has been a shift in the demand for workplace skills and a rise in the need for soft skills that support working remotely.

The survey was based on over 1,000 U.S. employees to find out the skills employees and businesses value and how the integration of new technologies is impacting this.

The most valuable soft skill for recruits was found to be communication. The most valuable soft skill according to c- level executives and senior managers is creativity. The most valuable skill for advancing in your career is leadership.

84 percent of employees and managers believe that it is necessary for new employees to possess soft skills and demonstrate this in the hiring process. This figure was the highest in companies with over 500 employees, with 90 percent saying that soft skills were essential.

Furthermore, with employees and the subject of core soft skills these were deemed the most important for a recruit joining the company across all industry sectors. Communication was regarded as the most important by almost a quarter of respondents, followed by problem-solving (21 percent) and time management (19 percent).

However, when asking C-level executives and senior management, they thought creativity was the most essential skill, at 23 percent and 26 percent, respectively.

The perceived importance of soft skills also varied with educational level. Those with Bachelor’s degrees (91 percent), Master’s degrees (91 percent) and Doctorates (95 percent) found soft skills more important than those with a high school (74 percent) or college diploma (78 percent).

The balance of these skills is likely to change as technology advances, especially artificial intelligence. In time, the proportion of the answers in favour of one set of skills or another may well later.

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About the Author: Chimdi Blaise