SOFT SKILLS: EVOLUTION, AMBIGUITIES AND THE LIMITS OF THE CONCEPT

This article searches for basics and evolution of the concept of „soft skills” in the literature. From the first formulations of the term to the contemporary definitions used in economic research and in studies on the labor market the main relevant contributions in theory are traced. The approach is guided by the definitory question: which soft skills are recurrently identified and defined in the literature and how they have been conceptualized over time (?). The paper highlights both the diversity of conceptual approaches and the persistent ambiguities associated with this term, including its uneven use, its overlaps with other categories of skills and the risks accompanying its normative application in some management contexts. At the same time, the measurement limits and the difficulties of making soft skills work are discussed. At the same, our analysis proposes a clear delimitation between soft skills and hard skills, by referring to criteria such as the nature of the knowledge involved, the ways of acquisition, the degree of transferability and the possibilities of evaluation. It will be in the terms of such undertaking that the "soft skills" notion could be ready to meet at least the processes of education, labour market and work performance.