New Economy Skills Unlocking the Human Advantage 2025

The fragility and recovery of human-centric skills Human-centric skills are often seen as durable, yet they are highly sensitive to external shocks. Economic downturns, crises and social disruptions can erode them rapidly, as opportunities for practice, collaboration and feedback diminish. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed this fragility: skills requiring frequent interpersonal engagement, such as teaching and resilience, declined sharply, while empathy and active listening proved more resilient, reinforced by the heightened demand for connection during a time of crisis. Evidence from the SSES 2023 further underscores these limitations; basic education teachers report significant difficulties in nurturing social-interaction skills through online or remote learning.11 Recovery is possible but uneven. Without structured opportunities and deliberate investment, human- centric skills deteriorate. The notion that human-centric skills are enduring ignores a key reality: they erode without sustained practice and deliberate cultivation.12 BetterUp data shows a sharp inflection between 2019 and 2021, as self-reported human-centric skills declined amid profound social and professional changes triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Skills particularly sensitive to external shocks13 – resilience, ability to cope with and overcome adversity and stress – and those requiring regular interpersonal interaction, such as teaching, experienced the steepest declines. In contrast, empathy and active listening appeared more durable, likely reflecting the heightened focus during this period on understanding others and maintaining social connection, through virtual communication and other remote interactions. This trend aligns with existing evidence showing that while social empathy – the ability to read social cues and respond appropriately in group contexts – declined during the pandemic, emotional empathy improved.14 The decline in skills such as curiosity and empathy may reflect that, under sustained adversity, individuals tend to focus on short-term problem solving, while exploration, creative thinking and the drive for curiosity and lifelong learning become constrained.15 Even by 2025, the perceived importance of human-centric skills had not returned to pre-2019 levels (Figure 8), illustrating that while these skills are considered durable, they can decline without opportunities to practice and intentional investment.16 Self-reported skill trends, 2019–2025 FIGURE 8 -6.0-4.0 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025-2.00.0Percentage change from 2019 Empathy and active listening Curiosity and lifelong learning Teaching, mentoring and coaching Motivation and self-awareness Resilience, flexibility and agility Leadership and social influence Creativity and problem solving Notes: Percentage change in skill levels relative to 2019 values, by skill. A value below 0 indicates a reduction in skill levels compared to 2019. Source: BetterUp; World Economic Forum, Global Skills Taxonomy. New Economy Skills: Unlocking the Human Advantage 15