According to the new Europe-wide, Graduate Employability Eurobarometer Survey among employers, ‘soft’ skills are just as valued as sector-specific and computer skills when it comes to graduate recruitment.

Significant numbers of employers questioned said that the ability to work well in a team (98 %), to adapt to new situations (97 %), communication skills (96%), and knowledge of foreign languages (67 %) were important when recruiting for their companies. Almost 50 % of companies with considerable international business identified knowledge of foreign languages as the most important skill for the future.

Over 7,000 recruiters working in public and non-public companies in 31 countries were interviewed for the survey.

• Eurobarometer survey: Employers’ perception of graduate employability (Summary)
• Eurobarometer survey: Employers’ perception of graduate employability (Full Report, pdf)