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Is the problem really a lack of skilled workers?
The figures in Switzerland show: Yes, we have a shortage of skilled workers. A record high was recorded in 2023, particularly in healthcare and technical professions. In many other sectors, on the other hand, statistics show that there are enough well-trained people, but the vacancies are or cannot be filled. "Even in occupational groups where there is no acute shortage of skilled workers, it is becoming increasingly difficult to recruit new employees," emphasized Martin Meyer, Head of Adecco Switzerland, in an interview with SRF.
Possible causes of the skills shortage
But why is it that many companies are nevertheless desperately looking for specialist staff and the corresponding positions remain vacant for so long? There are actually many reasons. We will now take a closer look at two of them. Firstly, we tend to have a rather conservative labor market culture in Switzerland. This makes it particularly difficult for lateral entrants, people who have been out of work for a long time or people with abrupt career changes to re-enter the job market. This is despite the fact that they would have the relevant qualifications. On the other hand, many job-seekers and well-qualified specialists often lack motivation or knowledge about how to position themselves confidently with potential employers after a long period of absence - in the sense of "self-marketing".
Special challenges for female professionals
Many women decide to take a career break after the birth of their children in order to devote themselves to family care or care work. When they then want to re-enter the job market, they often face a number of hurdles:
- The world of work is evolving in leaps and bounds: according to current federal figures, it takes an average of 5 years for women to regain a foothold in the labor market. During their absence, however, technologies, work processes and market dynamics have often developed massively, which can make re-entry difficult without appropriate further training.
- Change in interests: The time spent with children has such a strong impact on many women that they often want to do something new when they return to the world of work. However, this desire for change requires additional qualifications and time for further training.
- Stigmatization of illnesses: In addition - and this applies to all genders - there is still a lack of open and constructive ways of dealing with mental illness. People who have taken a break from work due to mental illness are often confronted with a strong stigma. This makes returning to work even more difficult.
One possible solution: "self-marketing" and "re-branding"
At its core, the job market is literally a market in which you have to position yourself as a product. Successful self-marketing and effective (re-)branding are therefore essential in order to get a new job. Recruitment expert and career consultant Caroline Schultheiss therefore advises you to start by making a proper assessment and asking yourself four key questions:
- Who am I and what characterizes me as a person?
- What interests do I have?
- What am I good at?
- What skills do I have?
But what if the last formal training or further training was really many years ago?
The expert encourages a change of perspective here. The skills and abilities we bring to a new job are not always related to formal training. We also acquire them in our private lives. To make this concrete, let's stay with the example of women who dedicate themselves to care work for several years. This work also or especially develops and promotes new skills that will later be needed in the regular labor market. You learn to deal with pressure, improve your planning and coordination skills and learn to remain calm and patient even under adverse conditions. The important thing for meaningful self-marketing is to recognize these skills yourself and to be able to represent them confidently to the outside world. This is not easy for everyone. That's why support services are needed to help professionals get fit for the application process.
Company perspective: More willingness to take risks when recruiting!
When decisions are made about filling vacancies, applicants who can present a complete and stringent CV tend to be selected. This is not wrong per se, but this automatically means that all other people fall through the cracks. So those who would be perfectly suitable for a position but have an unconventional or incomplete CV are often not even shortlisted. What's more, even with the most polished CVs, you can't always be sure whether you'll actually get what's promised and whether you really need all the skills for the job. Recruitment expert Caroline Schultheiss therefore suggests taking a pragmatic approach. "It's particularly useful if you let people work for half a day on a trial basis. That way, you can quickly see how a person works, what questions they ask, how they approach tasks and what Mindset they bring to the table."
The AIT initiative: Working together against the skills shortage
The skills shortage in Switzerland is complex and goes beyond demographic factors. Conservative labor market cultures and a lack of self-marketing skills make it difficult for many skilled workers to get started. Self-marketing and re-branding are therefore essential. At the same time, companies should open up their recruitment strategies and also consider unconventional CVs. With joint efforts and innovative approaches, we can close the gaps in the labor market and shape a sustainable future. This is precisely where the AIT pilot project (AIT = labor market integration training for female professionals) comes in.
This is based on an innovative and interdisciplinary method that goes beyond conventional career counselling concepts and not only directly involves companies , but also pursues a holistic and individual support process for female professionals. In concrete terms, this means that in addition to the classic career counselling approach, participants are able to close any skills gaps, reposition themselves and work towards a defined role individually, in a group and in exchange with employers. Coaching and training complement each other, offering equal amounts of stability and taking participants out of their comfort zone.
If you would like to find out more about the program, please contact us at: info@skillylog.ch.
Sources:
https://www.srf.ch/news/wirtschaft/fachkraeftemangel-index-2023-neue-zahlen-zum-rekord-fachkraeftemangel-pruefen-sie-ihren-beruf
