71 PEW RESEARCH CENTER
important to workers in the health care and education fields than they are for workers in the hospitality, manufacturing and farming, and retail sectors. Good written and spoken communications skills are highly important as well. Some 45% of workers say it is extremely important that they have good communications skills in order to do their job, and 44% say this is very important. These skills are most important for people working in education.
Amid demand for high-skilled jobs, people skills still matter a lot % of employed adults saying it is extremely important that they have ___ in order to do their job Interpersonal skills
50
Critical thinking
46
Good written and spoken communication
45
Management and leadership
30
Basic computer skills
Management and leadership skills are extremely important for three-in-ten of today’s workers, and an additional 40% say these skills are very important. These skills cut across industries, with roughly equal shares of workers saying they rely on them to do their job. About three-in-ten workers (28%) say computer skills such as word processing or creating spreadsheets are extremely important for their job.
28
Ability to do physical/ manual work High-level math, analytical, computer skills Ability to operate, build, machinery/equipment
20 14 12
Note: Based on employed adults who have one job or those who have more than one job but consider one to be their primary job. Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted May 25-June 29, 2016. “The State of American Jobs” PEW RESEARCH CENTER
A third tier of job skills includes a mix of analytical and manual skills. Some 14% of workers say it’s extremely important for them to have high-level math, analytical or computer skills in order to do their job, and an additional 25% say these skills are very important. One-in-five workers say the ability to do physical or manual work or use hand tools is extremely important in their job, and 12% say it’s extremely important for them to be able to operate, build or repair machinery or equipment. As would be expected, these skills are particularly important for workers in the manufacturing and farming industries, and they are also relied upon by those who work in the hospitality or service industries. The skills that American workers use in their jobs differ considerably by educational attainment. Even among college graduates, there are significant differences in the skills
www.pewresearch.org