Skills Gaps

The following article from Talent Management.com and sponsored by SABA outlines the soft skills gap issue. Survey: Soft Skills make up the Biggest Competency Gap Ninety two percent of senior executives in the U.S. acknowledge there is a serious gap in workforce skills, according to the “State of the Economy and Employment” survey from Adecco Staffing US. Yet for all the traditional talk about a skills gap in technical and computer skills, 44 percent of respondents cited soft skills — such as communication, critical thinking, creativity and collaboration — as the area with the biggest gap. In fact, only 22 percent cited a lack of technical skills as the culprit for the U.S. skills gap — with leadership (14 percent) and computer skills (12 percent) following behind. When it does come to the gap in computer skills, Gen X executives — more than any other generation surveyed — are most likely to believe this is the skill that most seriously affects the U.S. workforce. As for business implications related to the U.S. gap in skills, the survey found that the majority (64 percent) of senior executives who believe there is a skills gap feel the greatest threat to U.S. businesses is investment going to companies abroad instead of staying in U.S. — 34 percent believe the U.S. gap in skills poses a threat to businesses research and development capabilities. Other findings include: U.S education system needs to better prepare future generation of workers. According to the survey, more than half (59 percent) of respondents do not believe colleges and universities in the U.S. offer curriculums that adequately prepare students for today's workforce. Apprentice/training programs could be a solution. Among those respondents who said there is a skills gap in the U.S. workforce, 89 percent believe corporate apprenticeships or training programs could help alleviate the problem. Yet 42 percent said the greatest barrier to creating in-house training programs is the cost of development. Manufacturing suffering most from skills gap. Of those who believe there is a skills gap in the U.S, 30 percent said it most affects the manufacturing industry. Other industries cited included technology (21 percent) and professional and business services (19 percent). Interestingly, as dire as the need is for skilled workers in the U.S., senior executives did not feel the skills gap poses a direct threat to the U.S. economy; only 13 percent cited it as a major concern. Instead, federal spending (24 percent), global competition (22 percent) and high unemployment (20 percent) were called out as what they feel are the greatest threats to the U.S. economy.