Adaptive skills most critical to business viability

'Adaptability and resilience' skills topped the list with 56%.

Adaptive skills top the list of workforce competencies that employers and business leaders consider critical in surviving the economic impact of the pandemic, according to the recent NTUC LearningHub's Employer Skills Survey report.

Skills such as “adaptability and resilience” topped the list with 56%, followed by “teamwork and collaboration” with 52%. Meanwhile, “innovation” had superseded digital-related competencies including digital marketing and project management skills with 49% whilst the latter incurred 44% and 43%, respectively.

The findings also include the top skills by industry⁠—built environment, essential domestic services, lifestyle, manufacturing and professional services, as well as trade and connectivity.

In addition, 65% of employers deem “improving soft skills or adaptive skills” an imperative when sending their workers for training during this period, further underpinning the significant emphasis that businesses are placing on this competency.

NTUC LearningHub's CEO Kwek Kok Kwong notes that workers should actively identify gaps in their current skill sets to determine the areas in which they need to upskill to keep pace with evolving labour market demands.

 "They will also need to be equipped with the skills that enable them to quickly recover from challenges arising from the downturn, while keeping up the morale of their teams,” he added.