American Workers Lack Common Sense Skills, Executives Say

Workers these days just don't have what it takes to make it to the corner office, more U.S. executives say.

Workers lack communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creative skills executives say, according to a recent survey by the American Management Association. Turns out, bosses aren't too excited about their underlings' abilities, a prospect they're getting more worried about considering such skills will be more important amid a changing business landscape, they say.

The number of executives rating their employees as below average increased across all four areas since the survey was last taken in 2010. Almost 20 percent of workers lack at least average creative skills, according to executives.

Surely, this isn't totally brand new news. Executives have long spoken about a technical skills gap in the American workforce, particularly in the field of manufacturing (the sector most executives polled in the survey work in). But it's these basic common sense skills that are worrying executives more, according to the survey.

"The emphasis over the past years has been on high tech skills like math and science for workers, but what's missing in the discussion is the ability to communicate and make key decisions at lower levels," Ed Reilly, CEO of AMA, told CNBC.