In search of new skills

Businesses are increasingly struggling to find new talent to hire, partly because of the aftermath left by the pandemic emergency. According to a World Economic Forum report, the so-called “talent shortage” now affects three out of four companies. Within five years, the study adds, 87 percent of companies will face a lack of appropriate skills within their workforce. The problem, writes the Courier, shows no signs of abating. On the contrary, the percentage on the skills shortage increases year by year: compared to 2021, the leap forward is 8.7 percent and 120 percent when compared to 10 years ago.

Italian problem

The problem also affects our country, where the talent shortage figure is high and close to the global average. A feature, moreover, that is likely to slow down post-Covid economic growth. According to a study by Upwork’s Future WorkForce, 70 percent of companies plan to hire staff in the coming months, as long as they can find profiles compatible with the organizations’ needs. Often, in fact, the problem is not simply a shortage of candidates in the required positions but, more specifically, a lack of adequate skills to fill that particular position. A phenomenon that now affects mainly the information technology, marketing, manufacturing, and front office sectors.

What solution

The issue has also been addressed by the international consulting firm McKinsey, which in a recent survey “The skillful corporation” showed how, at present, 43 percent of companies say they have skills shortages within their workforce, a percentage that increases to 87 percent if we extend the time frame considered to the next 5 years. But how will businesses react in the face of this phenomenon? For 53 percent of organizations, the most useful action to fill these gaps will be to reskill their employees, followed by hiring new resources (20 percent) and redistributing the workforce with new assignments and positions (also at 20 percent).