CounterPunch Exclusives

CounterPunch Exclusives

Do “Soft Skills” Explain the Low Employment Rate for Black Men?

One explanation for the low Black male employment rate that has been put forth by prominent scholars is that Black men are weak in what are called “soft skills.” For example, the distinguished sociologist William Julius Wilson writes in More Than Just Race: Being Black and Poor in the Inner City, “In the past, men simply had to demonstrate a strong back and muscles to be hired for physical labor in a factory, at a construction site, or on an assembly line; they interacted with peers and foremen, not with consumers.” Wilson argues that the rise of the service sector and the decline of manufacturing has dramatically increased the need for soft skills, which Black males often lack.

He describes soft skills this way:

employers are less likely to hire them [Black males] because they are seen as unable to sustain positive contact with the public. Employers in the study maintained that black males lack the soft skills that their jobs require: the tendency to maintain eye contact, the ability to carry on polite and friendly conversations with consumers, the inclination to smile and be responsive to consumer requests no matter how demanding or unreasonable they may seem. Consequently, black male job seekers face rising rates of rejection.

employers are less likely to hire them [Black males] because they are seen as unable to sustain positive contact with the public. Employers in the study maintained that black males lack the soft skills that their jobs require: the tendency to maintain eye contact, the ability to carry on polite and friendly conversations with consumers, the inclination to smile and be responsive to consumer requests no matter how demanding or unreasonable they may seem. Consequently, black male job seekers face rising........

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