Soft is the New Hard – The Competence in the Economist Role : An analysis of the business’s competence requirements for the economists of the future

AbstractDate: 2025-06-03 Level: Bachelor/Master thesis in Business Administration, 15 cr Institution: School of Business, Society and Engineering, Mälardalen University Authors: Ville Lindberg (00/07/18), Hannes Adolfsson (01/08/14), Alexander Bohm (00/02/13) Title: Soft is the New Hard – The shift in skills in the economist role Supervisor: Dariusz Osowski Keywords – Accountant, Content Analysis, Skill Requirements, Job Advertisements, Soft Skills, Hard Skills. Research question – Which hard and soft skills are most in demand among economists in today’s labor market? This bachelor thesis examines which competencies are in demand for future accountants in a digitalized labor market. Using a quantitative content analysis of 312 job advertisements and a semi-structured interview with a recruiter, the study identifies key hard and soft skills emphasized in the recruitment process. Based on signaling theory and the Skill-Biased Technological Change (SBTC) framework, the analysis explores how and why certain competencies possess different signaling values and how digitalization influences the shift in skill demands. The results show that soft skills such as responsibility, communication, and collaboration are frequently mentioned, while business acumen and adaptability are more prominent in the interview data and in theoretical discussions. The study highlights a potential gap between formal job requirements and practical expectations, which may affect the employability of economists in a rapidly changing labor market.