Changes in societal priorities and advances in technology have led to the constant evolution of the job market. The growing tendency in the corporate world to utilize technology to automate processes is creating a skill gap. This is because robots and artificial intelligence can perform the basic hard skills; therefore, making more technical jobs disappear. As a result, demand has shifted towards sustaining the more service-led economy.
Soft skills do not relate to the work done but to how the job is done. They comprise emotional-based skills, interpersonal skills, and character, among others. Organizations are now prioritizing soft skills as the primary differentiator when choosing between two seemingly equal candidates. Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook, is a perfect embodiment of how her excellent interpersonal skills saw her overtaking highly qualified contemporaries to secure the position.
Individuals with soft skills are highly likely to be more productive. Most people have first classes but lack their soft skills; hence, when they go out to interviews, they do not make a good first impression, leading to them not being hired. There is also an association between advancing generations and the deterioration of soft skills. Generation Y is so much engrossed in technology, including social media, which is distracting them from work.
Even amid record-high academic results, modern organizations are still complaining of low performance from these young people. Thus, although there is a high unemployment rate, companies can still not fill vacancies because these young people lack much-needed soft skills. This shows the need to make changes in the education or societal system that make the oncoming new generations learn the value of soft skills. However, this burden should not be entirely faced by young people; company managers should be more flexible with the changing landscape and meet the new generations halfway.