Social skills to pay the bills

Employment requiring high math skills but low social skills, including many science and engineering jobs, has decreased in the United States as high social skills have become increasingly powerful predictors of employment and wage growth. Using surveys of occupations, skills, and wages, Deming shows that socially skilled people self-select into less structured jobs requiring a wide range of tasks, leading to wage gains. Increasing computerization may be a driver, replacing routine work and prioritizing social collaboration, but employment and wages have been especially strong in jobs demanding both high math and high social skills.