Campus Adobe reports on employers’ desire for creativity and soft skills in college graduates

On November 5, Campus Adobe published a report titled “Get Hired: The Importance of Creativity and Soft Skills.” Some of the content summarizes prior research, but the report also presents new research based on analysis of 2 million job postings and 2 million resumes. Here are some of the key findings:

• Leading employers identify the top three critical skills for the future workforce as complex problem solving, critical thinking, and creativity.
• A survey of Generation Z students shows that 85% believe being creative will be essential to their success, and 76% wish there was more of a focus on creativity in the classroom.
• 97% of employers say that creative problem solving is important for students to learn in school.
• 69% of educators agree that there is not enough emphasis on creative problem solving in today’s curricula.
• Job postings in 18 in-demand, growing career fields show that the most highly sought skills are communication (71%), creativity (50%), collaboration (41%), and creative problem solving (15%).
• However, an examination of 2 million resumes show that fewer than ¼ mention creativity or communication, and only 11% mention collaboration. 1% mention creative problem solving.
• One conclusion of the study is that educators need to place greater emphasis on developing creative and soft skills so that students can succeed in the workplace.