08 October 2019
In today’s economy, there is an increasing demand for graduates with soft skills, such as those taught in psychology programmes, for the job market.
Such university programmes increasingly getting the attention of international organisations that are placing greater emphasis in hiring individuals with high emotional intelligence.
A report titled Workforce of the Future by PWC, an international consulting firm, states that in the increasingly automated job market, businesses still place great emphasis on soft skills such as creativity, leadership and empathy.
According to Hays Asia Salary Guide 2019, a report that tracks salary and recruiting trends in Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Japan and Malaysia, shows that soft skills such as problem-solving, team-working and verbal communications are the most in-demand.
Dr Patrick Lin, a senior lecturer of psychology at James Cook University, whose research includes the study of interpersonal attraction, says: “At JCU, most of the lecturers are from different cultural backgrounds. We bring in our own life experience when we teach. Because we’re a research-focused university, lecturers also provide real-life examples such as up to date data, for them to work with so they can foresee what will happen when they graduate.”