In 2016, the World Economic Forum published The Future of Jobs. A main finding from their work was that "social skills – such as persuasion, emotional intelligence and teaching others – are in higher demand across industries."
The same year a report by the Business Council of Canada stated that, for entry level employees, only 22% of employers felt that “industry-specific knowledge and experience was important” while 67% of employers felt that “collaboration/teamwork skills” were essential.
Gone are the days where many workers perform the same repetitive tasks over and over. In this age of automation, the jobs that will remain will likely require advanced people skills such as self-awareness, communication, collaboration, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Interestingly, these are the same skills that have been found to be central to civic participation, lifelong learning, and overall personal wellness.
In the past, little attention was paid to the intentional development of these attributes. In today’s fast-paced, complex, and highly interdependent world, mastery of complex soft skills has become a critical differentiator that can really set employees apart.