“55 % of companies in Spain have difficulties finding candidates”. This piece of news was published by various media outlets a few months ago. The statistic is one of the most striking included in the study, “Deficit of talent and imbalance of abilities”, produced by Randstad Research. It is not the first time that I have read a statistic of this kind, but on this occasion, it really caught my attention. In Spain, we have a high rate of unemployment, over 15%, and even then, more than half of the companies claim that they have certain positions for which they have difficulties to find a suitable candidate.
The downside is evident, and is connected to the shortcomings of our job training system. In this sense, we all have to make an effort: the businesses encouraging the ongoing training of our workforces, and the organisations and trade unions working with the government to design training programmes that are tailored as much as possible to the needs of the market.
Moreover workers, both those who have a job, and those who are searching, need to be aware in order to sense where a job market that is changing at dizzying speed is headed, and, at the same time, continue their training to improve their skills and abilities.
There is a positive reading in all of this: Spanish businesses have options for growth and the workers and unemployed people of Spain have opportunities to explore new pathways in their careers. The 9th “Where to find a job if you are unemployed?” study by Adecco indicates the recurrence of new technologies on the most in-demand profiles. In the ranking of the most sought-after profiles , which was also produced by Adecco, professions such as Big Data Architect, IT Security Expert, Head of Programmatic Trader, etc. are at the top of the list.
This is not a coincidence. The job market of the next few years will be very different from the one we know today. And it will be, in part, thanks to these professionals who are innovating, inventing and developing new products and services.
At Enagás, we have always wanted to be at the cutting edge of technological development. Currently, we are carrying out a process of digitalisation to which we have taken a cross-sectional approach. At the same time, we are building alliances with universities to open avenues of research and collaboration. In this area, we are a corporate sponsor of the ‘Connected Industry’ chair at the Universidad Pontificia de Comillas ICAI-ICADE, which offers specific training for these increasingly in-demand professional profiles in the era of the Connected Industry.
We are also increasing the presence of this type of profiles in our workforce and we are training our current employees in this way. Because this is another exciting but also challenging characteristic of this new environment, no one can stand still. We all have to update ourselves and continue learning every day.