Choosing the career to study is a decision that will have a full impact on the person’s life. There are factors that should be taken into account such as the vocation and abilities of each person, but it is undeniable that the degree of employability is important in a world in which digitization is advancing by leaps and bounds.
“The workforce is automating faster than expected and it is estimated that in the coming years it will displace 85 million jobs, according to data from the World Economic Forum,” says a study by the IEBS Business School. The figure is overwhelming, but the report qualifies, “the advance of digitalization also leaves many professional profiles uncovered.”
Given the unstoppable irruption of new technologies, it is easy to deduce which are the most attractive university degrees for the labor market. “University degrees related to computer science and engineering are those with the highest levels of job placement and quality in hiring,” explains Marta Menescal, a consultant at LHH Recruitment Solutions. “When finished, most of the graduates already have a job offer and an indefinite contract.”
However, an analysis by Adecco and Spring Professional reveals that almost half of the job offers that were published in Spain, in 2021, were looking for professionals with a different profile, specifically in the field of health. For this reason, the career with the most job vacancies to be filled is Medicine.
“The graduates have a job offer even before finishing their degree, but the quality of hiring is not good,” confirms Menescal. “Most have temporary contracts due, for example, to the temporary hiring of resident internal doctors. There are many job opportunities, but in worse conditions”.
Other studies, which were already marked by precariousness, such as those related to humanities, arts and law, see their situation becoming more and more acute. “These are careers with a worse quality, both in job offer and in terms of conditions”, says this expert. “These profiles end up doing tasks that are not suitable for their training and with temporary conditions”.
Digitization is not the only trick that counts when deciding on one person or another. “Companies are looking for professionals who have a mix of soft skills and technical and technological skills, capable of adapting to the volatility and uncertainty of today’s world,” explains the IEBS Business School study. What soft skills are you referring to? “Resilience, adaptability, autonomy and desire to grow and train”, lists Marta Menescal.
Beyond academic profiles and skills, there are biases that continue to hold back the entry of female talent in careers related to the STEM world (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), the richest in terms of employment. “There are small improvements in the trend, but they are very masculinized races,” says Menescal. “Little by little it is changing.”
