Gap analysis of future employee and employer on soft skills

BACKGROUND: Soft skills have become more necessary than ever in today’s labour market, and their development has become an increasingly key area for companies’ HR departments. Employees with the soft skills required for a given job can perform the tasks assigned to them more efficiently and successfully, therefore all those involved in the process can consider the completion of the task as a positive experience. By strengthening the employees’ soft skills, companies can improve their corporate culture, their market performance and thus their competitiveness. METHODS: The authors conducted a multi-year research in Hungary, the first part of which was a quantitative study to analyse the soft skills of young people leaving school, their awareness of employers’ expectations and the opportunities and tools they consider useful for developing these skills. The second part of the research involved the other side, i.e. the employers, to assess their expectations of the prospective employees’ soft skills and to explore the development opportunities that employers provide to strengthen these skills. RESULTS: The results of the two questionnaire surveys confirmed that both sides are aware of the soft skills needed in the labour market, although the market participants are not always in agreement about these needs. However, the development of skills, even though they enhance the market competitiveness of the employee and the employer, is not really in line with market expectations.