N
:: Employability Skills for Employment ::
Wadhwani Foundation: Global Footprint – 20 Nations
The Skill Gap Challenge
SHORTER SHELF-LIFEShelf-life of any education
program is no more than 3-5
years, learning to learn has
become critical in the knowledge
economy.
MISMATCH WITH INDUSTRYAcademia not producing what
industry wants, need to combine
technical skills with 21st century
employability skills
DATED PEDAGOGYTextbook/lecture model
producing inferior learning
outcomes, multimedia and
interactive content is key to
transform student learning
outcomes
ONE SIZE DOESN’T FIT ALL Lack of personalized learning
producing poor outcomes,
adaptive, personalized learning is
key to ensuring widespread impact
at student level.
© Copyright Wadhwani Foundation
Which skills do
companies look for,
when they hire?
© Copyright Wadhwani Foundation
We conducted a survey of 1100+
companies to find the answer
© Copyright Wadhwani Foundation
Domain knowledge 29%
Integrity & Result
Orientation 28%
Interpersonal Skill & Learning
Agility 19%
Numerical & Logical Ability
10%
Cultural Fitment 8%
Communication6%
Companies said that they look
for:
Which skills do companies look for, when they hire?
© Copyright Wadhwani Foundation
Domain knowledge 29%
Integrity & Result
Orientation 28%
Interpersonal Skill & Learning
Agility 19%
Numerical & Logical Ability
10%
Cultural Fitment 8%
Communication6%
Technical
skillsCompanies said that they look
for:
29% Technical skills
(or Domain Knowledge)
Which skills do companies look for, when they hire?
© Copyright Wadhwani Foundation
Domain knowledge 29%
Integrity & Result
Orientation 28%
Interpersonal Skill & Learning
Agility 19%
Numerical & Logical Ability
10%
Cultural Fitment 8%
Communication6%
Technical
skillsCompanies said that they look
for:
29% Technical skills
(or Domain Knowledge)
+
Which skills do companies look for, when they hire?
© Copyright Wadhwani Foundation
Domain knowledge 29%
Integrity & Result
Orientation 28%
Interpersonal Skill & Learning
Agility 19%
Numerical & Logical Ability
10%
Cultural Fitment 8%
Communication6%
Technical
skills
Soft Skills
Companies said that they look
for:
29% Technical skills
(or Domain Knowledge)
+71% Soft skills
(or Core Employability Skills)
Which skills do companies look for, when they hire?
Survey of 1100+ CompaniesSoft vs Hard Skills: Employers’ Survey
Includes organizations with employees <200, 200 – 500, 500 – 2000, over 2000 employees; All values indicated are simple average
61%
43%
21%
42%
33%
40%
31%
35%
35%
20%
33%
40%
8%
23%
73%
36%
33%
11%
42%
50%
35%
25%
66%
14%
35%
50%
77%
58%
67%
60%
64%
60%
59%
80%
67%
60%
85%
59%
27%
64%
67%
78%
56%
50%
65%
63%
67%
29%
76%
71%
4%
8%
2%
4%
4%
6%
8%
18%
11%
2%
13%
33%
5%
24%
14%
IT-ITES
BFSI
Healthcare
Beauty & Wellness
Pharmaceuticals
Electronics & Hardware
Hospitality / Tourism
Retail
Overall
Gems & Jewellery
Textile & Handlooms
Handicrafts & Carpets
Logistics
Automotive
Furniture & Fittings
Other Manufacturing
Metals & Non Metals
Engineering
Food Processing
Construction
Power
Security
Machinery and Machine Tools
Mining
Electronics
Rubber Plastic Petro& Chem
62%
57%
53%
52%
51%
50%
49%
45%
45%
45%
44%
44%
44%
43%
42%
42%
41%
41%
41%
41%
40%
39%
39%
39%
38%
34%
38%
43%
47%
48%
49%
50%
51%
55%
55%
55%
56%
56%
56%
57%
58%
58%
59%
59%
58%
59%
60%
61%
63%
61%
63%
67%
IT-ITES
BFSI
Healthcare
Beauty & Wellness
Pharmaceuticals
Electronics & Hardware
Hospitality / Tourism
Retail
Overall
Gems & Jewellery
Textile & Handlooms
Handicrafts & Carpets
Logistics
Automotive
Furniture & Fittings
Other Manufacturing
Metals & Non Metals
Engineering
Food Processing
Construction
Power
Security
Machinery and Mach. Tools
Mining
Electronics
Rubber Plastic Petro& Chem
Premium companies are willing to payImportance of hard and soft skills
>15% increase11-15% increase0-10% increase
COMMUNICATIONBASIC
CUSTOMER
CENTRICITY
DIGITAL
LITERACY
PROBLEM SOLVING
TEAMWORK
COMMUNICATION
WORKPLACE
DIGITAL
LITERACY WORKPLACE
BASIC
ENTREPRENEURIAL
MINDSET
21st Century Competency Clusters for Employability
Having worked with 1100+ employers, these Competencies were found to be most sought-after in potential employees.
Comparing skills demand, 2018 vs. 2022, top ten
How employability has changed over the years ?