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The Career Advisory Board of DeVry University recently conducted in-depth research into the prevalence of key soft skills within the modern workforce. In a press release published in late December of 2018, Anne Unger discusses the findings of the 2018 Talent Activation, Employee Experience and Skills Development research. She states that the research reveals, “a gap in soft skills such as communications, business acumen and customer service.”
While employers have been taking steps to combat these gaps in soft skills, their efforts have not been completely successful. The study showed that when it comes to certain key soft skills, approximately half of the workforce is falling behind. These skills relate to:
These skill gaps are occuring at all levels of employment. However, soft skill gaps are most notable among lower paid employees, with the research showing that 71 percent of frontline employees lack vital soft skills. By comparison, employers noted a lack of soft skills in 63 percent of the supervisory level and only 45 percent at the executive level.
According to Unger, in spite of this lack of key soft skills, “Respondents are confident they are activating their talent and providing strong candidate and employee experiences.” In fact, more than 75 percent of employers believe that they are providing employees with development programs and learning opportunities that empower them with the information, tools, and skills needed to further their careers. Furthermore, 60 percent of employers actively seek to improve employee/employer relationships by practicing continuous feedback and providing regular opportunities for employees and managers to check in with each other and monitor progress.
Alexandra Levit, chair of the Career Advisory board says of the situation, “Many large-scale companies are taking steps to activate their internal talent and are enhancing the employee experience along the way. However, evidently it’s not enough to close soft skills gaps that are present at all levels of an organization.”
Employers seeking to close the soft skill gaps in their organizations should take the following actions:
While employers have been taking important steps in closing the soft skill gap, there is still much work to be done. Soft skills such as business acumen, digital fluency, and communication are essential to the success of the modern worker – and to modern business organizations as a whole. Employers who wish to remain competitive would do well to institute training initiatives that address these vital skill needs.
Justin Goodman has spent the past 20 years in insurance. He is the co-founder and CEO of Total CSR and co-founder and Managing Director of Project 55. By the age of 29, he was recognized as one of the top five construction insurance experts nationwide by Risk and Insurance Magazine. He also was named to Insurance Business Magazine’s Hot 100 and most recently the 2024 Insurance Journal Agent of the Year. Justin has trained over 50,000 CSR’s, account managers and producers through his work at Total CSR. He has a passion for developing the next generation of insurance professionals. When not with his family, he devotes his free time to speaking engagements and advising agency owners across the country.