Durable Skills
The New Competitive Advantage
The Why:
As technology makes technical skills widely available, organizations will discover their greatest advantage lies in distinctly human capabilities—“durable skills” that employers say are often lacking.
What Are Durable Skills?
“Durable skills” represent the evolution of what was once called “soft skills”—but they go further. These include not only interpersonal capabilities like strategic communication, adaptability, and leadership, but also higher-order competencies such as critical thinking and creativity. While soft skills were sometimes considered secondary to technical skills, the AI revolution is inverting this hierarchy. These skills are now appreciating in value precisely because they resist automation. As AI makes technical skills widely available, durable skills are becoming essential differentiators.
Change Is Outpacing Workforce Readiness
Much like the internet evolved from a novelty to a necessity, AI is transitioning from experimental technology to essential infrastructure. In time, it will become as ubiquitous and unremarkable as email or cloud computing. Similarly, just as the internet reduced demand for travel agents and reference librarians, AI is transforming which skills organizations prioritize and reward. With AI capable of executing technical skills, employers need strategists, conflict mediators, teachers, and creative thinkers.
Yet a widening gap threatens workforce readiness and business resilience: 70% of corporate leaders report critical deficiencies in these innately human capabilities. Forty-six percent cite communication as one of the top three missing skills, and 40% of employers say recent graduates are unprepared for work, often due to a lack of durable skills.
Employees without durable skills may face challenges adapting to evolving roles and technologies. An absence of communication, teamwork, and emotional intelligence leads to misunderstandings and siloed work. Employees lacking interpersonal and leadership skills often face challenges in team dynamics, leading to dissatisfaction and higher attrition rates. Creativity and collaboration drive innovation; their absence can lead to stagnation and missed opportunities.
The Ideal Employee Has It All, Thanks to Their Employer
Employees who demonstrate both strong durable skills and AI fluency will be highly valued for their ability to shape organizational culture, drive change, and accelerate business momentum. Research shows that teams with these combined capabilities are more adaptable, innovative, and resilient in the face of technological disruption.
Employees may hesitate to explore AI due to fears about job displacement, skill obsolescence, and uncertainty around how AI will affect their roles. These concerns are valid and deserve thoughtful acknowledgment from employers, who play a critical role in building trust. By clearly communicating the purpose and benefits of AI, offering hands-on training, and showing how durable skills complement AI tools, organizations can empower employees to engage confidently and grow alongside technological change.
Likewise, durable skills are absolutely trainable—though they require different approaches than technical skills. These skills can be developed through experiential learning, coaching, and feedback-rich environments. Employers can foster them by embedding real-world scenarios into training, encouraging peer learning, offering mentorship programs, and integrating skill-building into daily workflows.
While 92% of companies plan AI investments, studies show only 28% are investing in upskilling programs. The most successful organizations will be those that leverage AI’s capabilities while ensuring their workers are prepared with both technical and durable skills to leverage AI fully and responsibly. AI may be the engine driving organizations forward, but human judgment and intellect remain at the steering wheel.
What’s Next
The competitive advantage belongs to organizations that view durable skills as strategic infrastructure, not HR initiatives. Leaders can maximize AI investments by ensuring durable skills are at the forefront to drive strategy, innovation, and elevation of technology integration. As AI becomes more prevalent, the premium on these distinctly human skills will only increase. The question isn’t whether your workforce will need these skills—it’s whether you’ll develop them before your competitors do.
