What people skills does Gen Z need the most to thrive in the workplace?

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One third (36%) of surveyed employers believe communication is the most important.

Gen Z is well-known for their digital skills. However, what other people skills (formerly known as 'soft' skills) do they need to thrive in the workplace?

According to a poll by Hays, 36% of surveyed employers believe communication is the most important skill for Gen Z to develop within the world of work.

Seen as a critical skill, communication goes beyond written and verbal skills. It also includes active listening, empathy, and an ability to clearly communicate ideas.

In the eyes of employers, other critical soft skills Gen Z needs to develop include:

• adaptability (35%)
• problem-solving (16%)
• teamwork (13%)

On the other hand, in the face of increasing critical talent shortage, training and upskilling become more important for business development as well as talent attraction and retention.

The poll indicated that 46% of respondents pointed to job training, including workshops, online courses, and one-to-one coaching, as the best way to develop professionals’ skills. This was followed by mentorships (31%), internships (13%), and self-studying (10%).

Bianca Stringuini, Global Head of DEI of Hays, commented: “Just offering training as a work perk is not enough, learning should be encouraged by the leadership teams and should be valued as much as ‘doing’ work.”

She suggested that facilitating knowledge shares between workers of all generations could be the key to a developing skill across generations. Bringing together these workers in ‘co-mentorship’ and ‘reverse mentorship’ schemes is an effective and efficient way of cultivating knowledge sharing and upskilling professionals across.

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