WHAT IS IT?
Durable skills used to be called "life skills" or "soft skills," which downplays how important they are in the workplace.
WHY IMPORTANT
Durable skills are essential because workers entering the workforce today will probably change careers seven or eight times in their lifetime. We also know that technical skills age out because of constant economic and technological changes. But durable skills like critical thinking, working collaboratively, and communicating effectively with others do not change. They are evergreen. After reviewing 500,000 job postings from 11,000 Idaho companies, Emsi found that these are the top 10 durable skills employers want in order of preference: Communication, leadership; metacognition (self-awareness); critical thinking; collaboration; character; growth mindset; mindfulness; creativity; and fortitude.
The top five durable skills are wanted by employers four times more than the top five technical skills.
