RESTAURANT giant McDonald’s is leading a new drive to promote communication and teamwork following research warning that more than half a million workers could be held back by a lack of so-called “soft” skills.

The firm, which has several local outlets, has launched a three-month consultation with the aim of publishing a series of recommendations later in the year.

Research for McDonald’s said employers, government and educators were not supporting soft skills enough.

The report warned that more than 500,000 UK workers will be “significantly” held back by 2020 by a lack of skills covering communication, time-keeping and teamworking, which can boost confidence.

It was estimated that soft skills contributed £88 billion to the economy, and will increase to £109 billion over the next five years.

Most employers believe soft skills are important to their business and over half rated them more highly than academic qualifications.

Jez Langhorn, chief people officer at McDonald’s UK & Northern Europe, said: “Soft skills like communication and teamwork are incredibly important to our business because of the impact they can have on our customers’ experience. As integral as they are to the performance and progression of our employees, I know that we can do more to recognise their importance which is why we are launching this campaign.”

Neil Carberry, CBI director for employment and skills, commented: “Business is clear that developing the right attitudes and attributes in people - such as resilience, respect, enthusiasm and creativity - is just as important as academic or technical skills.”