In the age of automation, companies getting serious about soft skills: Report

With the rise of automation and artificial intelligence in the job market, 92 per cent of global hiring managers agree that candidates with soft skills are increasingly important to the success of a company, a report said Wednesday. According to LinkedIn annual Global Talent Trends 2019 report, four key trends -- soft skills, work flexibility, anti-harassment, and pay transparency -- are impacting the future of human resources (HR) and the recruiting industry, in India as well as globally.

Soft skills include personal attributes that enable effective and harmonious interpersonal communication. In India, 87 per cent respondents believe that candidates with strong soft skills will be increasingly important to the success of their organisations. However, only 53 per cent say their companies have a formal process for assessing soft skills.

The report further said, 67 per cent of talent professionals in India agree workplace flexibility -- the option for employees to work when and where they would like -- is extremely important in shaping the future of recruiting and talent. On the importance of anti-harassment policies, 87 per cent of talent professionals in India agree that harassment prevention is a very important trend for the future of hiring and HR, compared to just 71 per cent globally.

Regarding pay-parity, around 71 per cent respondents in India agree that the top benefit of sharing salary ranges is fostering greater job satisfaction for employees. That said, 78 per cent also fear that this will create salary disputes among current employees.

"On the one hand, developing markets like India, Mexico and Brazil assign greater importance to soft skills in shaping the future of recruiting and HR. On the other, developed European and American counterparts assign greater importance to the role of work-flexibility in shaping the future of the industry," the report said. This report combines a survey of over 5,000 talent professionals in 35 countries (including more than 400 non-staffing professionals in India).