Bridging The Skills Gap: Examining the Effect of Soft and Digital Competencies on Job Readiness of Management Students

Abstract

This study addresses the high rate of educated unemployment in Indonesia and the mismatch between university graduates' skills and industry demands, which hinders students' readiness to enter the workforce. The research investigates the influence of leadership skills, communication skills, adaptability skills, and digital skills on students’ job readiness. A quantitative associative approach was applied, involving 179 respondents from the 2021 cohort of the Management Study Program, Faculty of Economics, Universitas Methodist Indonesia, selected through purposive sampling. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression with SPSS version 26. The results show that leadership, communication, and adaptability skills have a positive and significant impact on job readiness, while digital skills have a positive but not significant effect. Simultaneously, all four skills significantly influence job readiness. These findings suggest that improving these competencies can enhance students’ preparedness for the workforce.