Employers Identify Six Transferable Skills Critical for Job Seekers Amid Automation Threat
A five-year NFER study highlights six key soft skills—organization, problem-solving, communication, collaboration, creativity and data literacy—that employers say are as vital as formal qualifications in the coming decade.
Research by the National Foundation for Educational Research, released after a five-year investigation, identifies six transferable skills—organising and prioritising, problem-solving, effective communication, collaboration, creative thinking and information literacy—as crucial for securing and retaining employment over the next ten years. The report warns that AI and automation may erase up to three million low- to mid-level positions by 2035, heightening the need for these abilities.
Employers such as Christian Townsley, co-founder of North Bar, and Maria Aderonmu of Morgan Sindall Infrastructure illustrate how the skills play out in fast-paced settings, from bar service to infrastructure strategy. HR leaders at Barbour and North Bar emphasise teamwork, innovative problem resolution and the capacity to evaluate data for informed decisions. An interim review led by Alan Milburn found that 42% of firms cite soft-skill gaps as a hiring obstacle, prompting calls for schools and colleges to embed work-readiness training. Prime Minister Andy Burnham and retailers like Sainsbury's are supporting initiatives to give teenagers earlier technical education and work experience.
Why it matters
Understanding these six skills helps job seekers stay employable as automation reshapes the labour market.
In this story
