Which skills are valued by employers?

The study “Prepared to work?” identified the skills most valued in the labour market by 800 employers, in Portugal. The most importante skill is analysis and problem solving which includes being able to identify and prioritize problems, ask the right questions to analyze various sides of an issue and demonstrate willingness to question their own ideas and those of others.

Creativity and innovation come in 2nd place and consist of finding new solutions or ideas, demonstrate originality and suggest innovative proposals. Dealing well with unforeseen situations, adapt to changing situations, work well under stress and adequately respond to constructive criticism arise in 3rd place and characterize adaptation and flexibility.

Planning and organization was placed at 4th and consist in defining the necessary tasks to achieve outlined goals, delegate tasks and monitoring their progress according to a previous plan and update it in face of unexpected events. Keeping positive and being persistent in the face of difficulties, being proactive in the search for continuous improvement and being attentive to detail without losing sight of the ultimate goal relates to motivation for excellence, ranked in the 5th position by employers.

And what about the specific technical and scientific skills of the subject academic area?

These come in 6th place, which shows that employers attach great importance to soft skills, namely, those skills that can be used in various professional fields, in different roles and that can be trained and developed.