There is no consensus, however, on how to define these new competencies. Many authors have confined their research to the economic dimension, probably because these skills play a key role in determining access to employment. There are other explanations behind this focus on the economic dimension. Growth has recently been much stronger in knowledge sectors, which use the new competencies more intensively, than the rest of the economy. It is therefore not surprising that the clearest evidence relates to the labour market, employment and economic growth, whereas it is society as a whole that is involved.
Most studies agree on a set of core skills.
Leadership figures highly on this list, as do other relational skills, such as the ability to work in teams and aim towards a common goal. It also includes personal skills, such as motivation and a predisposition to work, the ability to learn and to solve problems, the capacity to communicate effectively with colleagues or clients, and the ability to analyse. Not forgetting, of course, technological skills, like mastering new information and communication techniques. That these competencies are required in the knowledge economy is hardly surprising. But they are not necessarily new.