Looking for something to read this weekend? We’ve scoured the web for thought-provoking articles and essays. Enjoy!

The Pew Research Center recently released new information about the American job market. One key finding is that both employment and wages have risen most in fields requiring analytical and social skills:

“While employment grew by 50% over all occupations from 1980 to 2015 [. . .] growth was much higher among jobs that require average or above average social skills (83%), such as interpersonal, management and communications skills, and those that require higher levels of analytical skills (77%), such as as critical thinking and computer skills.”

The Pew Research Center also found that Americans need a commitment to lifelong learning to keep up with ongoing changes in the workplace. The whole report is brief and worth a read. Pair it with our own essay on creativity and social skills.  

Elsewhere on the Internet:

The value of “open-ended, unconstrained, face-to-face conversation.”

Leadership development as a “living laboratory.”

“Empathy is feeling with people.” Brené Brown narrates a charming video on empathy, vulnerability and connection.

On reading plays – and the reasons we read.

Is the ghost story a “near-universal form of storytelling?”

Can reading really make you more empathetic?

To get ahead, we need to get outside of our comfort zones.

How to make the most of diversity at work (and why you need it).

Image: Barthélemy d’Eyck, Still Life with Books in a Niche, c.1442-45, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, [Public Domain] via Wikimedia Commons

Sharing Good Books: How Conversation Bridges Differences and Fosters Empathy
The One Trait Teams Need for Better Productivity and Collaboration
How Literature is a Catalyst for Creative Thinking

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