The impact of soft skills on the professional insertion of young graduates in the industrial sector

Abstract

According to the High Commission for Planning’s report, unemployment in Morocco is particularly high among young graduates. This study brings us back to the issue of integrating young graduates into the job market.

Nowadays, companies are more focusing on human capital as the key to their success. As a result, recruiters are keen to hire the best people possible: they prefer to recruit graduates who possess high academic qualifications and technical skills, combined with non-academic competencies that they consider very important.

The aim of this article is to show the relationship between soft skills and employability in the literature, and to verify its existence in the industrial sector.

Using a qualitative study involving a number of HR professionals in the industrial sector, we were able to show that soft skills have an impact on the employability of young graduates. We also identified the key skills that help young people to succeed in the industrial sector, which is characterized by a demanding and unstable environment.

The most demanded skills by professionals in this sector are: communication, collaboration, time and stress management, logical and critical thinking, creativity and flexibility; those skills are considered as the key for young graduates to successfully carry out their mission in such a sector.

In the industrial sector, soft skills may not find their place, especially when it comes to rare technical positions.

The study showed that soft skills in the industrial sector are increasingly valued by recruiters and can make a difference in the integration and professional success of candidates. Soft skills, such as communication, time and stress management, critical thinking, creativity, and flexibility, are particularly sought after in the industrial sector. They are considered essential for support functions but may not be as relevant for rare technical positions.

Keywords: Soft skills, graduates, employability, industrial sector

JEL Classification : M12

Paper type: Empirical Research