Systematic Review of Methodological Studies of the Predictive Validity of Soft Skill Measures

• In Event: Predictive Validity of Soft Skill Measures: Evidence from Around the Globe

Proposal

In this paper, we provide a systematic review of the empirical literature on the predictive validity of soft skills measures on labor market outcomes. We review a number of soft skills, including personality, grit, positive self-concept, motivations, aspirations, higher-order thinking and interpersonal skills, and a variety of measurement types, including self-reports, other, or task-based reports. Labor market outcomes encompass employment, job performance and earnings assessed between three months and up to 50 years after the soft skill measurement. After eliminating hundreds of candidate studies via title and abstract analysis, the review includes 43 studies published between 1990 - 2022. While the goal is to apply lessons learned to low- and middle-income countries, this review is unconstrained geographically, in order to cast the widest net. We summarize the existing evidence, identify gaps in the literature, provide advice for the field, and propose which skills and instruments should be prioritized for future use.

Authors

• Steven Glazerman, Innovations for Poverty Action

• Sarah Kabay, Innovations For Poverty Action

• Savanna Henderson, Innovations for Poverty Action

• Smita Das, Innovations For Poverty Action