Essential socio-emotional skills lacking in young people

A new report from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) reveals that the socio-emotional skills of young people aged 15/16 in England are significantly weaker than many of their peers in comparator countries.

The research warns that if left unaddressed, these weaknesses could have consequences for young people’s future employability.

This report examines the socio-emotional skills of young people in England - based on scores of assertiveness, co-operation, curiosity, emotional control, empathy, persistence and stress resistance - compared to those of other countries that were part of the latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA 2022). The report also compares young people’s skills in literacy, numeracy and problem-solving at age 15/16 to those in other PISA participating countries.

The research also includes case studies of seven high-performing education systems in Japan, Canada, Estonia, Portugal, Switzerland, Austria and Sweden, which offer key learnings for England.

The NFER study highlights that socio-emotional and cognitive skills are precursors to the Essential Employment Skills (EES) that young adults develop. These EES are communication, collaboration, problem-solving, organising, planning and prioritising work, creative thinking and information literacy, and they are expected to be vital for young people to thrive in the future labour market.

Previous NFER research predicts that by 2035, workers will need to use EES more intensively in their jobs, but that up to seven million workers could lack the required skill level to carry out these roles effectively.

The new report, which uses data from International Large-Scale Assessments (ILSAs), shows that while the UK has made progress in supporting young people’s literacy and numeracy skill development between the age of 15/16 and their early 20s, inequalities in cognitive skills amongst 15/16-year-olds have not seen the same improvement.

The report also finds that inequalities in socio-emotional skills are worse in England than any of the other 30 countries that gathered this data as part of PISA 2022.

15/16-year-olds in the UK generally perform better in maths, reading and science skills compared to their peers across the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). However, inequalities in these skills (based on differences between percentiles of the distribution) are slightly wider in the UK and have not narrowed over time.

While England previously lagged behind in post-16 numeracy and literacy skills, compared to countries participating in the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), significant improvements have been made over the past 10-15 years.

The study recommends that the government consider what more it could do to incentivise and support schools to promote the development of children’s socio-emotional skills. It also points to the importance of high-quality Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) in positively impacting on children’s skill development and recommends the government expands its teacher recruitment and retention strategy to include early years educators.

Jude Hillary, the programme’s Principal Investigator and NFER’s Co-Head of UK Policy and Practice, said: “Socio-emotional skills are very important for young people‘s employment prospects as well as their life satisfaction and general wellbeing. This research suggests we need to do more, earlier in children’s lives to support their social and emotional development and give them the best possible start.

“If we fail to prioritise these skills, we are potentially not just limiting individual wellbeing and potential – we are weakening the future workforce and economy of the UK.”    

The report makes a number of policy considerations for the government, including exploring what more it could do to incentivise and support schools to promote the development of children’s socio-emotional skills, as well as related self-management skills and cognitive skills, as critical parts of a good education. This includes exploring whether and how the development of EES can be further strengthened as part of teaching and delivering the curriculum.  

The findings are part of the latest instalment of the five-year Skills Imperative 2035: Essential skills for tomorrow's workforce research programme, funded by the Nuffield Foundation.