RT Journal Article
T1 Soft skills and the corporate social dimension: the perspective of university graduate employers
A1 Vázquez-Rodríguez, Ana
A1 Quiroga Carrillo, Anaïs
A1 García Álvarez, Jesús
A1 Sáez Gambín, Daniel
K1 Soft skills
K1 Employers
K1 University graduates
K1 Employability
K1 Corporate social responsibility
K1 Job market signalling
K1 Employer branding
K1 Higher education institutions
AB Today’s job market is characterised by intense competition among young graduates with the same qualifications. Consequently, soft skills have become particularly important in the processes of attracting and recruiting talent because they allow improvements in productivity, innovation, and internationalisation within businesses. This study aims to determine the soft skills that Spanish employers demand most from university graduates within the Spanish context. More specifically, it seeks to provide evidence related to the demand for these skills according to variables such as Corporate Social Responsibility, employers’ social engagement, and candidates’ participation in non-formal education activities. To this end, a quantitative methodology was applied, using a sample of 83 employers from different businesses. The results show that the soft skills in most demand were related to interpersonal relationships, self-management, and entrepreneurship. Furthermore, there were differences in this assessment related to employers’ social engagement and graduate participation in non-formal education activities. The study has implications for higher education institutions’ strategies and for students’ academic and professional development, contributing to a better fit between education and business.
PB Springer
SN 1570-2081
YR 2025
FD 2025-06-03
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10347/42597
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10347/42597
LA eng
NO Vázquez-Rodríguez, A., Quiroga-Carrillo, A., García-Álvarez, J. et al. Soft skills and the corporate social dimension: the perspective of university graduate employers. Educ Res Policy Prac (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10671-025-09395-w
NO Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, EDU2017-82629-R.
DS Minerva
RD 24 abr 2026