Soft skills for 21st century jobs

IN my column last week, I discussed bridging the skills gap. The International Labor Organization understands that a skills gap exists, and it is "a difference between the skills an employee should have to fulfill a role successfully and the skills an employee or successful candidate has."

This phenomenon affects both the individual employee or jobseeker and the enterprises across the globe. Allegedly in the United States, "92 percent of executives think that their employees aren't skilled enough to do their jobs" (Adecco survey). As the war for talent rages, "less than a third of companies believe they have the talent necessary for digital transformation in their organizations." A LinkedIn study shows that "59 percent of hiring managers have problems finding and hiring employees with soft skills."