75% of companies have trouble finding the profiles they need, especially engineers
High unemployment and temporary employment are not the only problems in the Spanish labor market. Paradoxically, in a country with more than three million unemployed, another concern that has now emerged is labor shortages in some sectors, increasing to the point that Second Vice President and Labor Minister Yolanda Díaz, admitted there is “concern” about the issue and announced last week that she will convene unions and employers to seek “output” for this talent shortage the country is suffering and will take a series of measures to solve it.
In any case, it cannot be compared with the ‘Great Resignation’ phenomenon in the United States, where the number of unfilled vacancies rises to 11.5 million, a historical record. From the ministry, they emphasized that Spain does not have a “very serious problem” of lack of workers. In addition, they pointed out that this is the EU country with the least impact. In concrete terms, the share of vacancies is around 0.7%, while the European average is above 2.5% and in countries such as Germany 3.8%.
But the talent shortage is no longer just a lack of staff, as more than half of Spanish workers must requalify to adapt to new challenges and continue to lead their position. In addition, almost 30% of the workforce would have to undergo training for more than three months to prepare, which for 9% would take six months to a year and for 10% of workers even more than 12 months.
The ‘Wanted Employee’ poster has been hanging in the window of many companies for months and with no signs of retirement, as warned by the employers’ association Cepyme and the Randstad Human Resources company, which post more than 109,000 job openings at these times they can’t find an owner, for the majority in companies with fewer than 200 employees.
This is what happens to Félix Cuadrado Duque, a businessman in the construction industry, who needs labor with 18 people and cannot find it. If not so long ago, at the time of the real estate bubble, many young people dropped out of their studies and entered the construction industry encouraged by their high salaries, now they don’t want to know anything about this profession. Felix’s message is clear. “We have a big problem with the staff. We don’t find a skilled workforce. There are currently no young people in the sector. Today is the birthday of the youngest employee, who turns 40. Today, nobody or very few people want to enter the construction industry,” he laments, pointing out that the other major problem they have is that this trade is not learned in a 150-hour course.
But the lack of personnel does not affect just one or a few sectors, but is becoming more and more general. It also affects the transport sector, which is booming due to electronic commerce. This is how Alicia González, owner of the company Transportes Boada, which focuses on international transport, mainly passenger cars, is denouncing it. He warns of a very serious problem because he cannot find drivers for his trucks and says that they should search for them and get them from Latin America, but it will entail a high additional cost, of about 6,000 euros, for the paperwork that they must do in order to have the necessary insurance and permits. “We have a lot of trouble finding qualified drivers. At the moment we have stopped ten trucks and we have work. We bring drivers from Peru, Colombia… But a driver we bring from abroad has been unemployed for 163 days until he started working, but is collecting payroll. Between administration costs and others, it has meant almost 6,000 euros for a man we brought with us who has not yet worked.
The timber sector has also been struggling with a personnel shortage for years. This is confirmed by Gerardo Oliver, owner of a sawmill in the province of Teruel. “We have quite a few labor problems and we have been looking for people for the felling of pine trees and also for the sawmill for a long time and we have not found them. We have tried to arrange papers for foreigners, but immigration is slowing down. At the moment we have 17 employees, but we could employ 24 people,” he says.
The vast majority of Spanish companies, 75%, are already having trouble finding candidates with the right profiles, according to a recent report from IESE.
From within the ministry, they admit that they have punctual difficulties in filling vacancies in sectors such as construction and hospitality, and in finding highly qualified personnel related to technological change. According to the aforementioned research by Cepyme and Randstad, healthcare and education are the sectors that have had the most difficulty filling vacancies. It is closely followed by engineering, marketing and advertising activities, telecommunications and the transport and logistics sector.
The pandemic has suddenly changed many of the Spaniards’ habits and priorities. Also in terms of employment. Flexibility is becoming one of the big demands of employees, to the point that 21% have left their jobs after this crisis due to the lack of flexibility in their company, while another 28% have considered it, according to a recent survey by Linkedin.
58% of those surveyed say they have realized after the pandemic that work is not their only priority and 60% explain that they prefer to work more flexibly so that they can develop in other aspects of their lives. In addition, lack of flexibility is already the main reason for resigning, even above salary, and has become a problem for professionals, especially women. One in five even decided to quit their job because they had to choose between caring for their children or their professional career, twice as many as men.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
