Are human skills still important in the digital age? An analysis of the entrepreneurs’ perspectives

There is a more or less well-founded fear among the worldwide workforce that in the digital economy, robots will replace people. In this context, a concern arises as to what are the human skills that can help people adapt to the new labor market conditions. The prevailing answer seems to be the soft skills, considering that these are increasingly required for their contribution to enhancing the competitiveness of companies that have already automated their routine tasks. The present article hinges its analysis on these considerations and proposes an in-depth investigation of the importance placed by entrepreneurs on soft skills, disentangling the core layers (difficulties, consequences, actions, and actors of solutions). By combining classical (Kruskal-Wallis H test) with more modern methods (generalized ordered logit model), our study spots targeted solutions for the success of companies and employees in the labor market. Our research reinforces the idea that a combination of soft skills with digital and green ones can increase the competitiveness of both companies and employees. The article also indicates the main actors of the success of recruiting: companies and education, supported by the government, and the opportunities outside the EU. Furthermore, our investigation highlights the critical need for public policies and educational institutions to adapt and collaborate in developing training programs and curricula that align with evolving labor market demands, emphasizing the integration of both technical and soft skills, and leveraging innovative technologies to enhance workforce resilience and adaptability.