Can We Rebrand Soft Skills?

As the creative industry navigates rapid change, 42% of employers are struggling to find or develop the right talent to drive innovation and maintain their competitive edge. And while we can’t predict exactly what jobs will look like in 2030 or which skills will be in greatest demand, it’s clear that soft skills are increasingly crucial in our sector.

Whether in design, illustration, filmmaking, branding or writing, the creative industry doesn’t exist without talent (hard skills). But as the landscape evolves, 55% of employers in the creative sector anticipate a growing demand for soft skills - key ones being communication (60%), creativity and innovation (50%) and adaptability (41%). No great surprises there. After all, for creatives to pitch and communicate their ideas, lead and collaborate effectively, these skills are non-negotiable.

What Exactly Do We Mean By ‘Soft Skills’??

Soft skills are essentially the non-technical abilities that enable us to interact effectively with others. They include:

• Collaboration; to create something unique and outstanding involves working in a creative team with understanding and respect for diverse working styles, cultures and personalities.
• Effective Communication: being able to make yourself understood and listening to team members and clients can be the difference between a winning pitch and an unsuccessful one.
• Emotional intelligence & adaptability: nurturing relationships with clients and colleagues and responding quickly to challenging situations are both vital for delivering a successful project.
• Critical thinking and problem-solving: creative work isn't just about producing art, it's about generating groundbreaking ideas, solving problems in innovative ways and making sound decisions under pressure.
• Leadership: within a creative team, leadership involves motivating staff, managing client relationships and leading projects to successful completion with confidence and enthusiasm.

These so-called soft skills are not just a ‘nice-to-have’, they are as essential to success and fruitful working relationships as technical talent - you can’t have one without the other.

The way we approach creative work is as a collective, drawing on each individual's skill set?to help build up another's. This means a designer with a strong creative portfolio will?develop skills to pitch ideas, negotiate with clients and present convincingly, while an account manager who is skilled at budgeting and planning will do an even?better?job when they have a deep understanding of the creative process. It’s that rich variety and understanding of all the skills that will give a creative agency - or any type of business for that matter - that competitive edge.

Can These Skills Be Taught?

Last year, the DCMS (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport) outlined its ‘2030 Skills Objective’ as part of its Creative Industries Sector Vision. The plan aims to bridge skills gaps, build talent, and future-proof the creative workforce.

The most important role is that played by educators and by integrating soft skills development into creative education right from the start we can better prepare the next generation for industry realities. As employers, we must also embrace innovation and think outside the box. We can do better and we must be more proactive in emphasising the importance of soft skills in hiring processes and professional development programmes. And let’s make it fun! The use of digital tools and platforms and even gamification have shown to be effective in soft skills training.

The Role of AI And the Future of Soft Skills

The elephant in the room, of course, is AI. But while it continues to advance, AI lacks the personal human touch found in our soft – or rather, power - skills. Forbes senior contributor John Hall recently argued, ?that as workers seek to navigate this new landscape, “developing and strengthening the unique skills AI can’t touch will be more crucial than ever” and that “creativity remains a skill only humans can control”.

The question is this: if the term ‘soft skills’ no longer does justice to their importance, is it time to reframe and rebrand them to - Core Skills’, ‘Essential Skills’ – maybe ‘Power Skills’?

By reframing these essential core qualities, we can ensure that their value is fully appreciated as the foundation of success within the creative industries and beyond. These skills are indispensable for the continued growth of our brilliant, innovative and resilient sector. What’s clear is that we must stop underselling them.