The twenty-first century brought with it technological advancements, increasing business\ndemands, and massive economic crises that have forced many professions to be reinvented\nover and over again. Employers all around the world are demanding greater levels of skills\nfrom their employees, and this trend appears to be applicable to the Middle East and North\nAfrican region as well. This paper uses a quantitative research method to identify the critical\nskills required for senior-level employees to perform successfully in e-businesses and to\nexplore the gap between the industryâ??s expectation and satisfaction with the skills of their\nemployees. The study was based on survey responses from 147 people working in ebusinesses\nin Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and United Arab Emirates. One sample t-tests were\nperformed to identify the importance that the industry placed on 20 skills relevant to ebusiness\nand to explore the satisfaction of the industry with the performance of its seniorlevel\nemployees in these specific skills. The findings showed that senior-level employees\nexhibit a more significant skills gap in soft skills than in digital skills, especially in decision\nmaking, leadership, and problem-solving skills. The results highlight the need to develop soft\nskills among candidates before they enter the workforce and offer educational institutions\nguidance for redesigning coursework to prioritize soft skills that are most relevant to the\nworkplace. The findings also suggest that firms invest in the continuous learning of their\nemployees to avoid the need to look for new people whenever the market changes.
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