Soft Skills and Their Relationship with Employability in Local Contexts: A Study of the Service Sector in Morelia

The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between soft   skills and job placement among university students in service sector companies in Morelia, Michoacán. The research was conducted using a quantitative approach with a non-experimental, cross-sectional design. The sample consisted of 52 companies in the service sector, selected through random sampling. A Likert-scale questionnaire was used for data collection; the instrument's reliability was high, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.962. Kendall’s Tau-b coefficient was used for data analysis. The results revealed significant associations between soft skills indicators and job placement criteria, highlighting that competencies such as communication, teamwork, and adaptability positively influence employability. Furthermore, the findings are consistent with international trends that emphasize the growing demand for socio-emotional skills in digitalized work environments. It is concluded that soft skills constitute a key tool for strengthening employability; therefore, their development is recommended through curricular strategies that include practical activities, linkage with the productive sector, problem-based learning, competency-based assessment, and graduate follow-up.