Source page: McKinsey & Company
Commentary
Balancing book smarts with soft skills
Jobs | Strategy
July 13, 2021 – Cognitive skills seem to bring bigger paychecks, but soft skills also matter, especially when it comes to job satisfaction and employment. Our latest research examines distinct elements of talent (DELTAs) to see what will help future-proof workforces. Click through the interactive to see the traits.
Interactive
To read the article, see “Defining the skills citizens will need in the future world of work,” June 25, 2021.
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Visual form
Multi-panel bar chart sequence.
Layout / body structure
The chart resolves as three separate ranked bar panels, one each for Employment, High income, and Job satisfaction. Reader moves panel by panel, and within each panel reads the bars from left to right by descending height while using the leader lines above the bars to connect each column to its DELTA label.
What is being compared
The sequence compares the increased likelihood associated with higher proficiency in different DELTAs across three outcomes: being employed, earning high income, and reporting job satisfaction. Each panel ranks ten DELTAs for that outcome.
Measurement system
The measurement is increased chance, in percentage terms, associated with higher proficiency in a DELTA. Each bar is labeled directly with its numeric value, so the reader tracks rank through the printed percentages rather than through a conventional y-axis.
Visible structure inside the graphic
Each panel uses one bright blue lead bar followed by a run of dark bars, with the tallest item placed first and the rest descending across the row. Thin vertical leader lines rise from the bars to text labels above them, and each panel carries its own large outcome title on the right side.
Main takeaway from the visual
The ranked panels make the same pattern visible three times: adaptive and human-centered capabilities sit at or near the top, while narrower technical items are present but do not dominate the leaders. Coping with uncertainty appears near the top across outcomes, which makes soft skills look broadly portable rather than outcome-specific.
Key standout values or extremes
Employment is led by Adaptability at 24, followed by Coping with uncertainty at 18. High income is led by Work-plan developments at 27, with Organizational awareness at 23 and Self-confidence at 22. Job satisfaction is led by Self-motivation and wellness at 23, with Coping with uncertainty and Self-confidence both at 20, while the lowest visible values in the set fall to 7 in the rightmost bar positions.
Controls / sequence, when applicable
No behavior appears in the published version; the page currently presents this as a fixed fixed chart sequence rather than a sequence.
Companion media, when applicable
There is no separate companion audio or video; the chart is the full visual on this page.