Shortage of skilled workers - one of the most discussed topics in the media in recent years. But what role do companies actually play in this?
Shortage of skilled workers - one of the most discussed topics in the media in recent years. Time and again, we hear from companies that there are not enough applicants and therefore a large number of positions remain unfilled. But what role do companies actually play in this?
According to the recruitment agency Manpower, 41 percent of companies in Switzerland have trouble finding skilled workers. Is this due to the lack of skilled workers or is there another explanation?
"It is not unusual for young graduates up to their mid-20s with a university degree in a STEM subject and 15 years of professional experience to be sought. In addition, those sought should be assertive and able to work in a team, have 10 years of experience abroad, speak several foreign languages fluently, and so on." - Prof. Beckmann, University of Basel
In this article, we would like to follow up on Prof. Beckmann's statement from the first part of our series and take a closer look at it, because perhaps the shortage is not of an economic nature at all, but is simply due to the fact that employers make too high demands on their applicants?
Matter of definition. Anyone who has ever studied job advertisements knows that many companies are looking in particular for flexible, young and therefore inexpensive people who at the same time already have several years of professional experience (hello, the "egg-laying willow sow"). But such an ideal candidate, who brings all the desired skills, usually does not exist.
The consequence? A too narrowly defined requirements profile not only restricts companies in their final selection of applicants, but also scares off many interested parties and potential applicants.
In their job advertisements, most companies merely string together empty standard formulations combined with 'fashionable' buzzwords, without any individuality, in the hope that a "special" person will apply.
But who will admit to not being a team player, organized and reliable?
Selection can then be made when it comes to the number of years of professional and foreign experience, the studies completed and the languages spoken. And this can be very discouraging under certain circumstances. (By the way, there is even an annual award given to the companies with the most off-putting job ads - the "golden beetle". But back to the topic).
Many companies may justify this by saying that this way they ensure that only the most talented and best people apply, but who actually meets all the requirements? And doesn't the opposite happen and the "best" talents look around at other companies or the competition?
In addition, it is not necessarily a sign of applicant friendliness if the requirements that the company sets are twice as long as the prospects that the company offers in return - or if the company has nothing to "offer" in the job ad in the first place, as in our example below.
The events described above then ultimately lead to companies talking about a shortage of skilled workers, which actually does not exist across the board, but is due to overly strict selection behavior.
In some sectors, such as STEM or healthcare, a shortage of skilled workers can be assumed - but this cannot be applied across the board to all sectors. In others, it is more like "complaining at a high level," as the saying goes. There, personnel bottlenecks are not always due to a lack of skilled workers, but often to excessive requirements and a lack of flexibility within the company.
But fortunately, utopian requirements are not the rule. In this respect, smaller companies and innovative startups can often be taken as a model, because they often have to be more creative in recruiting in order to attract good employees without a large budget.
After all, if you want to keep up in the battle for skilled workers, you have to take the initiative yourself and not only demand, but also offer your employees something. Nowadays, in addition to salary, increasingly flat hierarchies, the degree of innovation of the company, the opportunity to develop creatively and the involvement of employees also contribute to the decision of the employer. With an original and appealing job advertisement, realistic requirements and the provision of non-monetary benefits, good applicants can be found. And by providing opportunities for training and development, even applicants who do not appear to be a 100% fit at first glance can still develop into the best talent.
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