Soft skills in an AI future

How ready and equipped are today’s young Filipinos for the jobs of the future? We’re already in a new era where artificial intelligence (AI) promises to be all around us, running smart machines including transport vehicles; doing much of the work of doctors, lawyers, engineers, and other professionals; and much more. With so many types of jobs seemingly at risk from wide application of AI, will our “demographic sweet spot,” or abundant supply of workers (versus aging populations in most other countries), be an asset, or will it be a burden in our future economy? What skills will they need in order to find a productive role in the workplaces of the future?

A new study from the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) authored by Allan Bernardo, Jose Ramon Albert, Jana Flor Vizmanos, and Mika Muñoz warns that lack of “soft skills” makes Filipino youth ill-prepared for the challenges of AI and other emerging technologies characterizing the Fourth Industrial Revolution that’s now upon us. This will impact not only on their individual career prospects, but will also impair our economy’s stability, competitiveness, and innovation potential.

What do we mean by soft skills? These are personal attributes and interpersonal abilities that enable someone to interact effectively and harmoniously with others. Unlike hard skills, which are technical and job-specific, soft skills are more about how one works and interacts with workmates. They are critical for success in the workplace and applicable across different jobs and industries. Included in soft skills are communication (clearly expressing ideas and listening to others), teamwork (working well with others to achieve a common goal), problem-solving (identifying and resolving issues efficiently), adaptability (being flexible and open to change), emotional intelligence (managing one’s own emotions and understanding those of others), time management (prioritizing tasks and managing time effectively), leadership (guiding, motivating, inspiring others), and conflict resolution (handling disputes constructively). These are not taught as subjects in school; they are learned through experience, interactions, and relationships with others.

Years ago, I led a team analyzing the job-skills mismatch in a project of the Philippine Business for Education, where we interviewed various industrial firms in different parts of the country, along with officials of colleges and universities accessible to them. We were often told by hiring managers that their applicants’ training in the hard skills of science and engineering was usually not the decisive factor in their decision to hire or not to hire someone. They reasoned that specific technical skills could be provided through on-the-job training after the worker is hired. But it was their soft skills that usually swung their hiring decision, and the ability to communicate well and to collaborate in teams were among those most cited.

Soft skills will be critically important for workers in the era of AI. While workers will need the hard skills for navigating new tools and systems, soft skills will complement them by fostering adaptability and human-centered problem-solving, which machines can never replace. AI can do the data-driven tasks, but it is human creativity and ability to think outside the box that leads to breakthroughs.

The PIDS paper argues that “addressing this [soft skills] gap requires a concerted effort from educational institutions, policymakers, and industry leaders to redefine skills development frameworks and prioritize the cultivation of these essential competencies.” It must also be recognized that the solution to the soft skills gap in our country hinges not on tertiary education alone, be it in technical and vocational education and training (TVET), or in college degree programs. Soft skills are instilled long before students enter TVET or higher education institutions—if they do at all. It goes back to basic education in the elementary and high school levels, where children subconsciously imbibe these soft skills not in their school subjects but through their learning experiences in school, at home, and in the community.

In sum, it’s not just about what our young people learn. Equally important is how they learn. Since learning does not only happen in classrooms, this is a concern not just for teachers and principals, but also for parents and family members, and the community where the child grows. “It takes a village to raise a child,” as the saying goes—and this is most true in honing the child’s crucial soft skills. This is also why education must be contextualized in our young people’s particular community situations, and this bolsters the case for decentralized and devolved management of our education system. A centralized and top-down approach simply won’t get it right.

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