Employers deemed four career readiness competencies — critical thinking/problem solving, professionalism/work ethic, teamwork and communications skills — to be between “essential” and “absolutely essential” in the college graduates they are looking to hire, according to a survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

NACE’s Job Outlook 2016 Spring Update survey asked employers to rate career readiness competencies in terms of essential need, based on a five-point scale ranging from not essential to absolutely essential. The competencies and their 2015 essential need ratings are:

• Critical thinking/problem solving: 4.4
• Professionalism/work ethic: 4.4
• Teamwork: 4.6
• Oral/written communications: 4.4
• Information technology application: 3.9
• Leadership: 3.9
• Career management: 3.6

The survey included 144 employers who were members of NACE. Data for the Job Outlook 2016 survey was collected from Feb. 10 through March 22, 2016.