Skills employers seek when hiring graduates

Soft skills like communication, teamwork, problem-solving capabilities, and flexibility are the skills employers are looking for in fresh graduates, highlighted a survey by education research firm Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).

“This is unsurprising given these skills are critical to creating an efficient and positive working dynamic among teams, but may be particularly beneficial skills in the new working environment that many businesses are currently adopting, mainly remote, hybrid working, with more flexible hours,” stated the report.

The survey asked 26,742 employers from various industries and organisations worldwide to provide a list of skills that employers seek from new graduates. More than half of the respondents surveyed (56%) were in Asia Pacific, followed by 28% in Europe, 10% in Africa and the Middle East and remaining in Latin America and North America.

READ: What are the top skills employers look for?

At present, problem-solving skills was recognised as the area that employers are least satisfied with. Employers indicated they were most satisfied with the technical literacy of new graduates.

Employers in Asia Pacific also value interpersonal skills, commercial awareness and negotiating skills. This differed slightly in the North American region, in which communication was in high demand, but not much importance was given to negotiation skills or commercial awareness.