New Economy Skills Unlocking the Human Advantage 2025

Towards global guiding principles Despite evidence supporting the importance of human-centric skills, the world is still failing to meaningfully develop, assess and credential these capabilities. Practices to nurture and validate these skills remain uneven, fragmented and undervalued, with most education and training systems treating them as peripheral to technical knowledge. One challenge lies in the multiplicity of terms used to describe them – for example, “resilience”, “adaptability”, “perseverance” and “grit” are often used interchangeably. Without shared frameworks, these skills are hard to compare across systems and borders, reducing their visibility in hiring and education. Their persistent framing as “soft” skills further undermines their value, while risks of bias in assessment and credentialling weaken trust in their recognition. To unlock the full economic and social potential of human-centric skills, governments, businesses and educators must act urgently to establish clear frameworks for how these skills are cultivated, measured and validated worldwide. This section sets out global principles for developing, assessing and credentialling human-centric skills. These principles help business leaders guide their skills strategies, enable governments to consider new approaches to understanding the supply of their human-centric skills, and support educators in nurturing human capabilities (Figure 19). 2Call to action: developing, assessing and credentialling human-centric skills Clear frameworks are needed to measure, grow and validate human-centric skills, ensuring credibility, portability and equitable global recognition. Global principles to assess, develop and credential new economy skills FIGURE 19 Assessment 1. See the whole human: Use diverse tools to get a 360° view of skills and potential. 2. Make it real: Evaluate skills through authentic, performance-based tasks. 3. Track thinking, not just results: Monitor both progress and thought processes over time to track holistic growth.Credential 7. Set shared standards: Align on clear, consistent ways to recognize skills globally. 8. Prove it in practice: Use portfolios and real-world evidence to show skills application. 9. Badge what matters: Award modular, skill-specific and context-rich credentials, connected to clear career and learning pathways.Development 4. Prioritize new economy skills: Put new economy skills at the heart of learning. 5. Create safe spaces: Encourage growth through feedback, practice and reflection. 6. Fuel purposeful learning: Cultivate self-awareness and encourage hands-on collaborative experiences. New Economy Skills: Unlocking the Human Advantage 26