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Source: University of Bath/ GHK Consulting There is logically scant information in the surveys about the required skill level or the more specific definition of these skills, as this will vary by specific profession: the communication skills required for a journalist and a IT programmer or a plumber, for instance, will be very varied. However, on the whole, as mentioned in chapter 2, research by CEDEFOP 105 suggests that on the whole higher levels will be more demanded in the coming years. 4.1.2 Ranking of skills most frequently demanded by employers Table 4.2 provides a summary of the number of mentions per skill/competence/ personality trait in the above studies/ surveys. It covers those items that received more than one mention. Table 4.2 Number of mentions per skill/ competence/ personality trait Skill/ competence/ personality trait Number of mentions Communication skills 6 Organisational/ planning skills 6 Decision-making skills 5 Team-working skills 5 Confidence/ autonomy 5 Numeracy 5 Literacy 4 Problem solving skills 4 IT skills 4 Foreign language skills 4 Sector specific skills 4 Leadership 3 Emotional intelligence 3 Intellectual ability 3 Integrity 3 Adaptability 2 Entrepreneurship 2 Commitment 2 International awareness 2 Networking skills 2 Source: University of Bath/ GHK Consulting 105 Cedefop (2010a). Skills supply and demand in Europe: medium-term forecast up to 2020. Luxembourg: Publications Office. 42
The list shows that employers rank soft skills (the focus of this study) very highly, compared to technical skills. This is consistent with the review by Brunello and Schlotter (2011) who report that non-cognitive skills (within which these authors include aspects such as a wide range of social skills, motivation and leadership) are at least as important as cognitive skills in determining employment and earnings success. The list also shows a hierarchy of the soft skills that are more often valued by employers, which have been used in subsequent phases of the research after some minor adaptations to the reality of the youth sector – see section 4.2. It should be noted at this point that personality traits are not skills and competences per se, which are the focus of this study, yet their relationship with those is clear. Personality traits are important components of skills and competences and factors that contribute to their development. Thus, Brunello and Schlotter (2011) in their discussion of the eight key competences included in the ‘European Framework for Key Competences for lifelong learning’ note how “”learning to learn” include self–discipline, perseverance and motivation, which are also facets of conscientiousness in ‘Big five’ factors model 106 of personality and may also be related to the internal locus of control. Similarly, the keywords associated to “social and civic competencies” include ability to communicate, tolerance, empathy and coping with stress, which are clearly related to the facets of agreeableness and extraversion. Employers thus may report the importance of some personality traits because they see these as being related to a range of skills and competences that they require from employees. 4.1.3 Employers’ views on soft skills and successful job performance While their number does not allow for a robust check or contrast with the results based on the databases presented in the literature review section, it is interesting to note that the employer interviews undertaken for this study largely confirmed the importance of the softskills mentioned in the literature review, as soft skills are seen as a key element for successful job performance. In terms of particular skills, team working, organisation, decision-making and leadership skills were commonly mentioned. Other attributes mentioned, such as personal drive, a sense of initiative-taking and proactivity were associated with confidence/autonomy and entrepreneurship. As one workshop participant put it: "Although employers want young recruits to obey to the rules, at the same time they also want them to be able to think out of the box, be creative and innovative" –stakeholder workshop. 106 See Costa, P. T. Jr. and McCrae, R. R. (1992) Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) and NEO Five- Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) manual. Odessa, FL, Psychological Assessment Resources. 43
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Annex 3: Background characteristics
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