Soft skills deficiencies in quantity surveying graduates as perceived by contractors in Malaysian construction industry

The construction industry demands not only technical proficiency but also strong soft skills among Quantity Surveyors to ensure project success and effective collaboration. This study aims to identify the key soft skills deficiencies in Quantity Surveying students from the perspective of contractors and explore strategies to enhance these skills for better employability in the construction sector. The research is guided by three objectives: (i) to assess contractors’ perceptions of the most critical soft skills needed by Quantity Surveyors in the construction industry; (ii) to analyse the impact of soft skills deficiencies on contractors’ operations and project success; (iii) to propose practical strategies to bridge the soft skills gap in Quantity Surveying student through educational and industry collaboration. The research data was collected from literature review and questionnaires distribution to gain insights into the specific soft skills gaps and their consequences on project performance. A total of eighty-four (84) respondents who are the Quantity Surveyors working under Grade 7 contractor firms in Johor Bahru. The analysis of the effective soft skills which influence the construction project achievement by the performance of fresh graduate Quantity Surveyors. It discovers top 3 soft skills which are: (1) collaboration and teamwork; (2) communication skills; (3) ethics and integrity, whereas the top 3 impacts of soft skills deficiencies are: (1) miscommunication; (2) frustration, friction, tense environment and demotivation; (3) independent action. As for the findings on the strategies bridging the soft skills gap effectively, top 3 strategies are: (1) industrial training; (2) combining hard skills and soft skills in course structure; (3) collaboration between the Higher Education Institution (HEI) and the employer. This research benefits future Quantity Surveying graduates by offering practical strategies to enhance soft skills before entering the industry. For broader insights, future studies should expand beyond Johor Bahru to include perspectives from other states or across Malaysia.