Bertelsmann study: Soft skills most-wanted during permanent global crisis

Covid, climate, conflicts: The world has been in permanent crisis mode for years, changing not only our political and social life but also the demands on the labour market. But which soft skills are in highest demand on the job market now and how have "social requirements" in recruiting changed due to the pandemic and increased remote work?

Traditional soft skills still favoured

The Bertelsmann Foundation investigated these questions by analysing more than 48 million job ads to find out how soft skill and cross-occupational competency requirements have changed over the past years. According to its most recent job monitor, employers in the German-speaking sphere have been asking for more prudence, empathy and a positive attitude from future employees in recent years. 

However, this does not necessarily mean that remote work and increased digitalisation have substantially changed the core requirements put forward by recruiters. Classic soft skills such as "readiness for action" were still present in close to 50 percent of online job ads in August 2022, "ability to work in a team" could be found in about a 30 percent, and "self-reliance" in roughly 25 percent. "Creative thinking," "diligence," and "basic digital skills", on the other hand, still play a rather subordinate role in comparison.

What makes a "soft skill"?

Soft skills are a combination of social skills and knowledge in terms of human relationships and are defined by the level of cooperation, empathy, autonomy and creativity at work. First and foremost, they include behavioural, social and communication trades such as listening and collective problem solving.

In a labour market where skilled workers are scarce, employees are highly sought after, companies have to constantly adapt to various challenges and political decision-makers intervene in a steering manner, sound labour market data on social skills is crucial. 

Increasing dependance on soft skills

According to Pierre-Yves Sanséau, a researcher and professor of HR management at Grenoble Ecole de Management, the first Covid lockdown made soft skills stand out to an unprecedented degree:

"The Covid-19 crisis created an opportunity and requirement to apply soft skills in business. The workplace context was completely disrupted and changed constantly. And an employee's ability to use a skill is highly dependent on the workplace context.

The lockdown changed our perspectives. Employees had to mobilize resources in order to cooperate and continue working in this difficult situation. They notably had to call upon their skills with empathy, autonomy and responsibility. They were able to show interest in what others were living as well as concern for the longevity of their company. Employees also expressed critical thinking and criticisms in the face of the unclear and chaotic decisions that were announced.

As a result, the crisis shined a spotlight on skills that individuals already had but that were not recognized within companies. Many employees were surprised by changes in management that lead to delegated skills and responsibilities for collaboration."

Many employers focus on competencies rather than skills

Returning to Bertelsmann's job monitor. While the soft skills most-sought after don't appear to have significantly changed over the past years, the data still shows certain significant changes in the demand of human recourse managers and recruiters. For example, the soft skill "prudence" alone has been named as desirable in 73 percent more job ads than four years ago, followed by "empathy" with 39 percent more and a "positive basic attitude" with an increase of 26 percent.

Many employers also want to see their employees handling data and digital identity carefully and securely, with an increase of 62 percent. For 34 percent of employers, this competence has only recently become much more important, as the Covid pandemic has led to more remote work and online communication. This corresponds with the development of employers asking more explicitly for "motivation" now, a competence that took centre stage due to an increase in distance and virtual work.

One way or another, regardless which exact soft skills are in highest demand now: Their overall importance has significantly increased over the past years. With the world and our societies moving forward at a faster and faster pace, companies are increasingly dependent, and thus need to be more reliant, on employees with strong skills including critical thinking, proactive communication, high flexibility as well as the ability to cooperate with others.

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