Developing social and emotional skills, such as working well with others and being adaptable, can help young people achieve their education and career goals. Copyright: Alessandra Argenti/World Bank
Imagine you are a teenager today. Growing up in a fast-changing and uncertain world requires you to be adaptable, work with others, and overcome setbacks. Despite what they are often called, these skills are not “soft” at all – they are must-haves to achieve your education and career goals.
Youth need social and emotional skills more than ever
Social and emotional skills refer to the ability to:
- Engage with others, such as communication, teamwork, and leadership skills;
- Regulate emotions, such as being confident, dealing with stress, and the capacity to overcome setbacks; and
- Achieve goals, such as being organized, taking initiative, and problem-solving.
These skills are essential across all areas of life. They have also become the main currency for landing quality jobs and advancing in careers. According to the World Economic Forum, six out of the top 10 skills cited by employers across the globe are social and emotional skills, including resilience, leadership, and motivation.
Social and emotional skills are not “nice-to-have” add-ons to technical skills. They are at the core of many jobs and act as a catalyst to effectively apply job-specific knowledge and skills.
These skills are applied in jobs ranging from retail worker to tech project manager and include punctuality, effective time management, communicating well with customers or colleagues, and managing difficult situations. Without social and emotional skills, it is impossible to succeed in these jobs, regardless of one’s technical abilities.
As economies evolve and diversify, social and emotional skills are becoming even more vital, particularly in the growing service sector, home to one out of two jobs in low- and middle-income countries. They are among the essential skills for digital jobs and for accessing opportunities in the growing gig economy. For instance, a survey of gig workers across Latin America and Asia finds that the most important skills to succeed are time management, communication, and self-confidence. The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence is also expected to increase the demand for skills like creativity, empathy, and ethical decision-making.
Social and emotional skills can be learned
Different social and emotional skills are best learned at specific stages of life. The foundations for many social and emotional skills are built during early and middle childhood. Others are best formed during adolescence and early adulthood. For instance, the teenage years are a critical stage for developing confidence, as this period is marked by a search for identity and setting goals for the future. Similarly, adolescence and young adulthood are key for fostering personal initiative – a time when young people become more autonomous and engage with new social, educational, and work environments.
Social and emotional skills can be intentionally nurtured. A systematic review of interventions in secondary schools across 12 countries found substantial positive effects on social and emotional competencies. A combination of deliberate instruction, a supportive environment, and continuous practice in real life is the key to success. Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds have the most to gain from targeted support, as they report lower initial levels of social and emotional skills compared to their advantaged peers.
What can governments do?
Governments can incorporate social and emotional skills development into school curricula and school-wide practices and programs. For instance, the World Bank worked with the government of Indonesia on a growth mindset intervention for middle-school students to reinforce beliefs that intelligence and abilities can be improved through effort and perseverance. In Colombia, the World Bank supports training teachers in social and emotional skills development and introducing social and emotional learning programs.
Community-level interventions, such as volunteering and youth clubs, foster personal initiative, collaboration, and problem-solving on local issues, empowering young people to become change-makers in their communities and beyond. In Kazakhstan, the Youth Corps Project promoted social and emotional skills through a community-based service learning program. Similarly, a World Bank project in Kosovo helped improve skills and civic engagement among disadvantaged youth through youth-led community development initiatives.
Finally, labor market programs routinely include social and emotional skills instruction. They can incorporate these skills into training curricula and develop them in the workplace through internships or apprenticeships. On-the-job learning allows participants to practice and refine the skills most needed in work settings. For example, in Togo, entrepreneurship training that focused on personal initiative, such as self-starting behavior and being persistent, outperformed traditional business training. In Kenya, the Youth Employment and Opportunities Project provided over 60,000 youth with life skills and business training combined with internships or apprenticeships.
While the importance of social and emotional skills is widely recognized, intentional efforts to develop these skills in children and youth still lag efforts to develop vocational skills. If countries want a future-ready workforce, the path forward is clear: Prioritize investments in social and emotional learning.
This blog is a follow-up to the 2024 Annual Meetings, where the World Bank brought together ministers from the World Bank’s Human Capital Network and other influential voices from the private sector, academia, and civil society for its Human Capital Conclave on “Equipping Young Women and Men for a Fast-Changing World.”
It is the second blog in a series highlighting the investments in critical skills needed to help young people thrive in an increasingly complex world. The first blog is available here.
We are grateful to Sarah Eleuterio Comer for her insightful feedback and valuable comments on this blog.
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