Service jobs make up almost half of the vacancies filled in the UK each year, according to the government's employment service.
A Jobcentre Plus survey of 4,500 employers found that 43% of the 3.4 million open positions last year went to service jobs such as bar staff, packers and unskilled labourers, and also in sales and customer services occupations.
In addition, a quarter of all, or 559,000, employers hired or attempted to recruit staff last year. Small companies accounted for half of the employers trying to recruit.
But the survey found that most bosses aren't just interested with what is on an applicants C.V. Almost half said they sought staff with strong interpersonal and teamwork skills.
A further 38% said they look for motivation and flexibility, followed closely by verbal communications, which is sought by 35% of employers.
"What is interesting about these findings is that for each type of occupation, whether it is the more qualified professionals or the unskilled workers, similar skills come up time and time again," said Cay Stratton, director of the National Employment Panel (NEP).
"Interpersonal and teamwork skills and motivation and flexibility are considered critical for almost every occupation - these are skills which can be learned and often require a commitment from the employer to encourage a culture of teamwork which in turn will motivate employees."
