Hard and Soft Skills in Talents Equally Desirable to Mainland Chinese Employers

While technical skills are most sought after by employers across Asia, businesses in Mainland China hold in high regard talents with hard skills as much as those with soft skills. This is one of the key findings in the Hays Asia Salary Guide 2019, a report that highlights salary and recruiting trends based on survey responses from Hays Asia operating markets Mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Hays Asia has asked 1,660 respondents in Mainland China the skills most desirable in their organisations –– hard skills or soft skills –– to which there was a 50-50 response.

The respondents, who are in a position responsible for hiring staff, also revealed that project management (voted by 60 per cent), foreign language fluency (voted by 56 per cent), and statistical analysis and data mining (voted by 41 per cent) are the top teachable or technical skills in demand, in that order.

By contrast, employers in Mainland China are generally least interested in skills such as web architecture and development framework (voted by three per cent), UX or UI design (voted by three per cent), and network and information security (voted by four per cent).

In terms of soft skills, problem solving (voted by 78 per cent), team working (voted by 61 per cent), and verbal communication (voted by 39 per cent) were most coveted by businesses.

On the other hand, the psychological and emotional competencies that are at the bottom of employers’ priority lists were negotiation (voted by 13 per cent), written communication (voted by 14 per cent), and critical thinking (voted by 17 per cent).

Compared to Asia

Across Asia, three in five (59 per cent) employers deem hard skills more desirable in candidates than soft skills. This is most apparent in Singapore with 65 per cent who say the same. However, respondents in Mainland China placed the least emphasis on hard skills while placing equal importance on soft skills.

The hard skills favoured by employers Asia-wide are project management (voted by 55 per cent), statistical analysis and data mining (voted by 49 per cent), and foreign language fluency (voted by 34 per cent).

When it comes to soft skills, employers in Asia deem problem solving as the most sought-after competency (voted by 75 per cent), followed by team working (voted by 70 per cent) and verbal communication (voted by 63 per cent).

Commenting on the findings, Simon Lance, Managing Director of Hays Greater China says: “As industries and roles evolve and expand, the skills in demand are ever-changing. Businesses in Mainland China have been redefining both technical and psychological or emotional competencies required to grow and prosper.

With that in mind, candidates can benefit from staying abreast of industry developments and constantly upskill, or even reskill if needed, to maintain their competitiveness and therefore leverage in the employment market.

In addition, as technology evolves at a speedy pace, and industries get disrupted, a candidate’s aptitude and enthusiasm for self-learning make them extremely desirable to businesses that want to get ahead of the curve. Employers will likely start to make hiring decisions for permanent staff by considering both an individual’s current skillset, as well as their potential to expand that skillset over time.”

Get your copy of the 2019 Hays Asia Salary Guide by visiting our website or by contacting your local Hays office.