This article synthesizes emerging evidence on human-centric skills—creativity, resilience, emotional intelligence, and adaptive thinking—within contemporary labor markets shaped by artificial intelligence (AI), demographic shifts, and geoeconomic fragmentation. Drawing on global employer surveys, workforce analytics, and comparative education data, it examines the paradox whereby these skills are increasingly valued yet systematically under-recognized in hiring, under-developed in education systems, and inconsistently credentialed across borders. Analysis reveals that although employers project creative thinking and resilience as critical to 2030 competitiveness, only 72% of US job postings explicitly mention any human-centric skill, and fewer than half of executives perceive their workforces as proficient in curiosity, resilience, or lifelong learning. Regional variations underscore distinct strengths—Sub-Saharan Africa in creativity and collaboration, Eastern Asia in curiosity—yet global weaknesses persist in curiosity and structured skill development. The article advances evidence-based organizational responses including transparent communication of skill expectations, capability-building through experiential learning and psychologically safe environments, and credentialing innovations that make skills visible and portable. It concludes with a strategic framework for building long-term human capital resilience through integrated assessment, development, and recognition systems anchored in shared standards and enabling conditions of equity, common language, and responsible technology use.