It is no longer only necessary to have a degree to find a job, companies seek to hire professionals with certain qualities that are called transversal or “soft skills” that are not linked to training. Which is the most sought after? Half of the job offers published in Catalonia during 2023 ask for candidates capable of adapting to changes and assuming responsibilities.
This data is collected in the new Barometer of Occupations and Skills created jointly between the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) and the employers’ association Pimec. The barometer is created using a sophisticated artificial intelligence tool that analyzes market demand and the specific needs of companies in real time. With this, the UOC and Pimec want to design strategic employment and training policies.
Offer, for example, training to workers or the unemployed for their professional development and incorporate new business needs into students’ resumes. This is the first time that the transversal skills requested in the job offer have been quantified in such detail, which increasingly details the candidate’s profile with more precision.
The rector of the UOC, Ángels Fitó, pointed out this morning, during the presentation of the barometer, that adapting to change is a competence specific to the current and complex work context in which many decisions must be made, and has defended that the data will help to create appropriate public policies to improve competitiveness and employment.
For his part, Antonio Cañete, president of Pimec, recalled that the main problem for companies is finding qualified people for their needs and celebrated that the barometer allows them to “listen to the market” and know what qualities students should have. .
In this way, the demand for people with self-management skills and adaptation to change is explicit in almost all sectors and types of occupation. The second most valued competence is social and communicative (4 out of 10), which includes the ability to work as a team.
In almost 3 out of 10 offers, other aspects appeared, such as the ability to solve problems, assume responsibilities, lead other people, manage time or think creatively. To a lesser extent, but also significantly (1 in 10), commitment, quality management, autonomy or showing determination are sought.
On the other hand, occupations related to technology are those with the most vacancies (systems analysts, program developers) and there is considerable demand for professionals in the commercial and advertising fields. Also installation technicians (in Tarragona and Lleida).
The barometer has a consultation website that identifies and classifies skills, competencies, qualifications and occupations relevant to the labor market. The plan is to update it every three months.
The data comes from more than 1.7 million job offers published online in Catalonia from July 2018 to July 2023, with a desire to constantly update. 12 major sectors of activity and 300 types of occupations have been analyzed.
For the director of Pimec’s Work Area, Sílvia Miró, it is about “providing a useful and accessible tool that offers relevant data on the labor market to those responsible for human resources, the public administration and citizens.”
