Measure and Reward Human-Centric Skills

Nitin Deckha
Dec 18, 2025
2 min read

Idea 36 for 2025

The World Economic Forum has released its first report as part of a series of five key “New Economy Skills” that include "human-centric" skills, along with AI, data and digital skills, green and sustainability skills, trade and vocational skills, and business skills.

I am looking forward to spending more time with this report; I am really curious to delve further into the regional strengths and gaps from different parts of the world related to human-centric skills, but also how “invisible” these skills seem to be in HR-related processes, such as hiring, learning and development, and promotions, and the call to measure and reward these skills.

As the report outlines, the purpose is to “guide which skills businesses and economies should prioritize for innovation, resilience and inclusive growth."

· Core capability areas:

o Human‑centric skills: collaboration, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, creativity, adaptability, curiosity, resilience, empathy.

o AI, data and digital skills: using digital tools, data analysis, AI concepts and applications.

o Green and sustainability skills: environmental stewardship, sustainable practices, low‑carbon transition competencies.

o Trade and vocational skills: specialized hands‑on abilities from training or experience for manual/technical roles.

o Business skills: project management, financial management and practical operational competencies.”

Here is a summary (largely GPT-5-created) of key themes from the report’s executive summary, with some highlights provided by me:

· Central claim: human‑centric skills (creativity, adaptability, collaboration, curiosity, resilience, empathy) are the labour market’s most valuable assets in an AI‑driven economy.

· Employer view: these skills drive innovation and long‑term productivity but are often invisible in hiring, assessment and education.

o Only 72% of US job ads list any human‑centric skill; some sectors (e.g., supply chain, transport) are as low as 44%.

o Creative thinking ranks highest in monetary value to workers but is rarely used in hiring/promotions.

· Regional strengths and gaps:

o Sub‑Saharan Africa: above‑average creativity, resilience, curiosity, collaboration.

o Eastern Asia & the Caribbean: most optimistic about human‑skills readiness.

o North America & Oceania: strong in creativity and problem solving, weaker in teamwork/collaboration.

· Trends:

o Fastest‑growing skills globally: creative thinking and resilience (notably in Latin America & the Caribbean, South‑Eastern Asia, Sub‑Saharan Africa).

o Weakest across regions: curiosity and lifelong learning.

Fragility vs automation:

· Human skills are hard to automate (≈13% potential for AI transformation).

· They are fragile: shocks reduce practice opportunities and can erode skills (e.g., teaching/resilience fell >5% during the pandemic; empathy/active listening fell <2%).

· Development timeline: ~25% of learners show progress within weeks; most need several months of deliberate practice to reach proficiency.

Recommended actions:

o Create portable credentials spanning education and employment.

o Use real‑world assessments for collaboration, creativity and adaptability.

o Set shared standards and provide safe learning spaces to practice, fail, reflect and grow.

· Goal: make human capabilities measurable, rewarded and resilient to support the New Economy.

Here’s also a screenshot from the report of “human-centric” skills: