Soft Skills for Sustainable Employment: Does It Really Matter?

Abstract

A tremendous change has occurred in the professional world of learning. In order to develop a knowledge-based economy, a growing awareness about the importance of proper higher education has transpired in Bangladesh. Evidence from contemporary literature suggests that Soft Skill Attributes contribute to the sustainable employment of the business graduates significantly. This paper is based on descriptive and inferential research. The study has tried to identify the top ten Soft Skill attributes frequently asked by the employers among the potential candidates to attain and sustain the employments for business graduates in Bangladesh. It is found in this paper, that most of the employers search for the soft skill attributes like Communication Skill (Both Verbal & Writing), Interpersonal Skill, Ability to work under pressure, Team Player, Analytical Ability, Self-Motivated, Deadline-Oriented/Target Oriented, Leadership Skill, Problem Solving Ability, Proactive, etc. The study also opens avenue for further research in this field implementing training program for attaining most desired soft skills among the higher education institutions.

Keywords: Soft Skills, Sustainable Employment, Business Graduate, Knowledge Base Economy, Employer, Workplace, Bangladesh

JEL Classification: I20, M10