|
LIMA, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- The member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) must improve soft skills in the workforce, said Alfonso Grados, Peru's Minister of Labor and Employment Promotion, on Monday.
Speaking at the 6th APEC Education Ministerial Meeting (Oct. 3-6), Grados said that the members needed to improve the productivity of their labor market, especially among young people, and encourage the development of soft skills, such as empathy, problem resolution and communications ability.
Grados inaugurated the symposium by focusing on a dearth of soft skills among APEC economies, leading to difficulties in finding employment and job creation.
He cited a World Bank report which stated that Peru was among the 35 countries with the worst deficit in the development of soft skills.
According to the minister, this means that workers face restrictions in accessing stable employment, especially young people.
Therefore, Peru is currently working on an in-depth analysis of global best practices in developing soft skills.
This meeting is being held in preparation for the bloc's 2016 Summit, to be held in Lima on November 19-20.
