important and 18 percent named technical skills (Figure 2). Attitude<sup>31</sup> and responsibility<sup>32</sup> were both highly ranked socio-emotional skills. Language and communication<sup>33</sup> were the most valued cognitive skills; both are higher-order skills. Among technical skills, being able to adapt to new technologies was ranked most highly.<sup>34</sup> Latin American executives report similar findings. A survey of 192 business executives in 22 countries asked which of 10 skills were most important (Ogier 2009).<sup>35</sup> Critical thinking was named by 76 percent of the sample, followed by life skills and problem solving (72 percent each).

Two country level studies in the Middle East and North Africa find an emphasis on socioemotional and higher-order cognitive skills, as well. Lebanese employers name communication skills (higher-order cognitive) and team work (socio-emotional) as the top two skills needed in their managers and employees (World Bank 2012). Egyptian employers prioritize socio-emotional skills (honesty, punctuality), basic cognitive skills (literacy), and higher-order cognitive skills (problem solving, management) (AED as reported in Blom and Saeki 2011).

Three country studies paint a similar picture of the East Asia region. Nearly 500 Indonesian employers from various provinces and industrial sectors prioritize “thinking skills” (70 percent) among their managers and basic cognitive skills (47 percent) among their skilled workers.<sup>36</sup> Behavioral skills were ranked second for each group of workers, at 64 percent for managers and 32 percent for skilled workers (diGropello 2011). A sample of 700 Vietnamese employers identified independent work and team work (both socio-emotional skills) as the most important skills (World Bank 2008).<sup>37</sup> Similar results emerge from a survey of 3000 Filipino employers, where the most valued skill among managers is problem solving – similar to the Indonesian thinking skills – and leadership (a mix of socio-emotional and higher-order cognitive skills), both at 12 percent, while the most important skills for workers are

> 31 Ability to collaborate and cooperate with others, control emotions, and avoid negative reactions

> 32 Responsibility and compromise in the context of the organization’s objectives and complete assigned work

> 33 Ability to listen, ask questions, and express concepts and ideas effectively.  This is different than reading and writing.

> 34 One could argue that adaptability is actually a mix of higher-order cognitive skills and socio-emotional skills (see Guerra and Modecki forthcoming).

> 35 Critical thinking, life skills (negotiation, networking, collaboration, working with cultural diversity), problem solving, leadership, communication, understanding business decisions, multiple languages, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), technological proficiency, statistical analysis.

> 36 A range of specific skills were explored and then summarized into five skills groups: behavioral skills, computers, English, general skills (math, literacy), and thinking skills.

> 37 A pre-determined skills set in the survey, in decreasing priority ranking, is: independent work, teamwork,

communications, time management, problem solving, literacy, creativity, initiative, negotiations, math, leadership, writing, language, and computer skills.

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