What employers want: The “must-have” soft skills for entering the labor market.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7433/s124.2024.09Keywords:
employability, Young Graduates, Soft Skills, Higher Education, SurveyAbstract
Scopo del documento: i ricercatori accademici hanno prestato notevole attenzione alla valutazione delle competenze trasversali da parte di aziende e istituzioni che promuovono l'occupabilità dei laureati. La letteratura esistente offre un quadro incompleto e frammentario di questa situazione, e una scarsa attenzione è stata data al contesto italiano. Pertanto, questo studio mira a valutare l'importanza e la soddisfazione del datore di lavoro con 25 competenze trasversali nel contesto italiano concentrandosi sulla prospettiva dei datori di lavoro. Evidenziamo quindi le aree di miglioramento individuando il gap tra le competenze ritenute più importanti e quelle possedute dai neolaureati (es. soddisfazione).
Metodologia: Abbiamo condotto un'indagine via web tra i dirigenti delle aziende operanti in Italia. Il campione finale, che è stato assemblato utilizzando una strategia di campionamento intenzionale e una strategia di campionamento a valanga, era composto da 392 datori di lavoro che lavoravano in diversi settori e aree organizzative.
Risultati: i nostri risultati hanno classificato queste competenze trasversali in base alla loro importanza e soddisfazione. Inoltre, abbiamo evidenziato i gap significativi (importanza-soddisfazione) per tutte le 25 soft skills. Infine, abbiamo organizzato i nostri risultati in una matrice di importanza-soddisfazione a quattro quadranti.
Limiti della ricerca: questo studio si è concentrato solo sulla prospettiva dei datori di lavoro e non ha considerato le prospettive delle università o degli studenti.
Implicazioni pratiche: I nostri risultati forniscono a manager e università linee guida concrete sulle azioni necessarie per migliorare la capacità di dotare i laureati di competenze trasversali specifiche.
Originalità del contributo: Questo studio è il primo ad esaminare il gap di ricerca relativo alle competenze trasversali dei neolaureati alla luce delle diverse aree organizzative e settori industriali in Italia.
References
AASHEIM, C., LI, L., WILLIAMS, S. (2009), “Knowledge and skill requirements for entry-level information technology workers: A comparison of industry and academia.”, Journal of Information Systems Education, 20, 349-356.
ABBASI, F.K. ALI, A., BIBI, N. (2018), “Analysis of skill gap for business graduates: Managerial perspective from banking industry.”, Educ.Train., 60, 354–367.
ANDREWS, J., HIGSON, H. (2008), “Graduate Employability, “Soft Skills” Versus “Hard” Business Knowledge: A European Study”. High. Educ. Eur, 33, 411–422.
ARCHER, W., DAVISON, J. (2008), “Graduate employability: what do employers think and want?” London: CIHE, available online file:///C:/Users/PC/Downloads/Report.pdf (accessed on 9 May 2023).
BAKER, C., LOUGHREN, E.A., DICKSON, T., GOUDAS, M., CRONE, D., KUDLACEK, M., PETR, M., PETROVA, L., PICHOT, L., FRERY, J.C., KNOBÉ, S., SCHRÖDER, J. VALENZUELA, A.V., LOPEZ-BACHERO, M., VILLAREJO, D., SERREJÓN, F., MORTIBOYS, C., TASSELL, R. (2017), “Sports graduate capabilities and competencies: A comparison of graduate and employer perceptions in six EU countries.”, Eur. J. Sport Soc., 14, 95–116.
BOWEN, G. L., DESIMONE, L. M., MCKAY, J. K. (1995), “Poverty and the single mother family: A macroeconomic perspective.” Marriage and Family Review, 20, 115–142.
BROWN, D.W., KONRAD, A.M. (2001), “Job seeking in a turbulent economy: social networks and the importance of cross-industry ties to industry change”, Human Relations, 54(8), pp. 1015–1044.
BROWN, P., HESKETH, A., WILLIAMS, S. (2003), “Employability in a Knowledge-driven Economy.”, Journal of Education and Work 16 (2): 107–26.
BROWN, P., HESKETH, A. (2004), “The Mismanagement of Talent. Employability and Jobs in the Knowledge Economy”, Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK, p. 288.
CABRAL, C., DHAR, R.L. (2021), "Green competencies: insights and recommendations from a systematic literature review", Benchmarking: An International Journal, Vol. 28 No. 1, pp. 66-105.
CHAMORRO-PREMUZIC, T., ARTECHE, A., BREMNER, A. J., GREVEN, C., FURHAM, A. (2010), “Soft skills in higher education: Importance and improvement ratings as a function of individual differences and academic performance.”, Educational Psychology, 30(2), 221-241.
CHAPPLE, K. (2002), “Out of touch, out of bounds: how social networks shape the labor market radii of women on welfare in San Francisco”, Urban Geography, 22, pp. 617–640.
CHAPLIN, S. (2016), “Accounting Education and the Prerequisite Skills of Accounting Graduates: Are Accounting Firms’ Moving the Boundaries?” Australian Accounting Review 27 10.1111/auar.12146.
CIAPPEI, C., CINQUE, M. (2014), “Soft Skills per il Governo Dell’agire”, Milano: Franco Angeli.
CLARKE, M. (2018), “Rethinking graduate employability: the role of capital, individual attributes and context”, Studies in Higher Education, 43:11, 1923-1937.
COECKELBERGH, M. (2015), “Environmental Skill Motivation, Knowledge, and the Possibility of a Non-romantic Environmental Ethics”, 1st ed., Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
CREBERT, G., BATES, M., BELL, B., PATRICK, C. J., CRAGNOLINI, V. (2004), “Developing generic skills at university, during work placement and in employment: Graduates’ perceptions.”, Higher Education Research & Development, 23(2), 147-165.
DE WEERT, E. (2007), “Graduate Employment in Europe: The Employers’ Perspective.” In Careers of University Graduates. Views and Experiences in Comparative Perspectives, edited by U. Teichler, 225–246. Dordrecht: Springer.
DLIMBETOVA, G., ALIYEVA, A., AYAZBAYEVA, A. (2015), “Development of Ecological Competence for Future Professions.”, Biosciences Biotechnology Research Asia. 12. 311-319.
DUNBAR, K., LAING, G., WYNDER, M.A. (2016), “Content Analysis of Accounting Job Advertisements: Skill Requirements for Graduates.”, e-J. Bus. Educ. Scholarsh. Teach., 10, 58–72.
ERNEST YOUNG (2023). “Digital Sustainability IndexTM (DiSITM) Young. La sostenibilità digitale per i giovani”.
ERNST KOSSEK, E., HUBER, M.S., LERNER, J.V. (2003), “Sustaining work force inclusion and well-being of mothers on public assistance: Individual deficit and social ecology perspectives.” Journal of Vocational Behavior, 62, 155–175
EUROPEAN COMMISSION (2006/962/EC), “Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council, key competences for lifelong learning”.
GARCÍA-ARACIL, A., VAN DER VELDEN, R. (2008), “Competencies for Young higher education graduates: Labor market mismatches and their payoffs. High. Educ, 55, 219-239.
GOMES, S., LOPES, J. M., NOGUEIRA, S. (2023). “Willingness to pay more for green products: A critical challenge for gen Z. Journal of Cleaner Production, 390.
GRIFFITHS, D.A., INMAN, M., ROJAS, H., WILLIAMS, K. (2018), “Transitioning Student Identity and Sense of Place: Future Possibilities for Assessment and Development of Student Employability Skills.” Studies in Higher Education 43 (5): 891–913.
HAMID, M.S.A., ISLAM, R., MANAF, N.H.A. (2014) “Employability skills development approaches: An application of the analytic network process.”, Asian Acad. Manag. J., 19, 93–111.
HASELBERGER, D., OBERHEUMER, P., PEREZ, E., CINQUE, M., CAPASSO, D. (2012), “Mediating Soft Skills at Higher Education Institutions”, Handbook of ModEs Project, LifeLong Learning Programme.
HECKMAN, J. J., KAUTZ, T. (2012), “Hard Evidence on Soft Skills.”, Labour Economics 19 (4): 451–464.
HEIJDE, C.M.V.D., VAN DER HEIJDEN, B.I.J.M. (2006), “A competence-based and multidimensional operationalization and measurement of employability.”, Human Resource Management, 45, 449–476.
HILLAGE, J., POLLARD, E. (1998), “Employability: Developing a Framework for Policy Analysis.” London: DfEE.
HIND, P., WILSON, A., LENSSEN, G., (2009), “Developing leaders for sustainable business.”, Corporate Governance. 9. 7-20.
JACKSON, D., CHAPMAN, E. (2012), “Non-technical skill gaps in Australian business graduates”, Education + Training, Vol. 54 Nos 2/3, pp. 95-113.
JAMES, S., WARHURST, C., THOLEN, G., COMMANDER, J. (2013), “What we know and what we need to know about graduate skills.”, Work, Employment and Society, 27(6), 952–963.
LIM, Y.-M., LEE, T.H., YAP, C.S. AND LING, C.C. (2016), “Employability skills, personal qualities, and early employment problems of entry-level auditors: perspectives from employers, lecturers, auditors, and students”, Journal of Education for Business, Vol. 91 No. 4, pp. 185-192.
LO PRESTI, A., DE ROSA, A., ZAHARIE, M. (2022), “The route to employability: a longitudinal study on a sample of Italian job seekers.”, Int J Educ Vocat Guidance 22, 227–246 (2022).
LUENEBURGER, C., GOLEMAN, D. (2010), ‘The Change Leadership Sustainability Demands’, MIT Sloan Management Review, Vol. 51 No. 4.
MCQUAID, R.W., LINDSAY, C. (2005), “The Concept of Employability.”, Urban Studies, 42 (2): 197–219.
MITCHELL, G. W., SKINNER, L. B., WHITE, B. J. (2010), “Essential soft skills for success in the twenty-first century workforce as perceived by business educators.”, Delta Pi Epsilon Journal, 52(1), 43-53.
OECD (2003), “Definition and Selection of Competencies: Theoretical and Conceptual Foundations (DeSeCo). Summary of the Final Report Key Competencies for a Successful Life and a Well-functioning Society.”, Paris: OECD Publishing.
OECD (2012), “Better Skills, Better Jobs, Better Lives: A Strategic Approach to Skills Policies.”, Paris: OECD Publishing.
PASTORE, A., SCRIMIERI, C., PATRIZI, M. (2023), “competenze soft. Il gap da colmare per inserire i neolaureati nel mondo del lavoro”, Sviluppo&Organizzazione, 46-52
PECK, J., THEODORE, N. (2000), “Beyond employability”, Cambridge Journal of Economics,24, pp. 729–749.
PITAN, O.S. (2017), “Graduate employees’ generic skills and training needs.” High. Educ. Ski. Work-Based Learn. 2017, 7, 290–303.
RAMADI, E., RAMADI, S., NASR, K. (2016), “Engineering graduates’ skill sets in the MENA region: a gap analysis of industry expectations and satisfaction”, European Journal of Engineering Education, Vol. 41 No. 1, pp. 34-52.
RASUL, M.S., RAUF, R.A.A., MANSOR, A.N. (2013), “Employability Skills Indicator as Perceived by Manufacturing Employers.” Asian Soc. Sci., 9, 42–46.
RIZWAN, A., DEMIRBAS, A.; AL SAYED, N., MANZOOR, U. (2018), “Analysis of Perception Gap between Employers and Fresh Engineering Graduates about Employability Skills: A Case Study of Pakistan.” Int. J. Eng. Educ. 2018, 34, 248–255.
ROBINSON, O.C. (2014), “Sampling in interview-based qualitative research: A theoretical and practical guide”, Qualitative research in psychology, vol. 11, n. 1, pp. 25-41.
SENGE, P.M. (1990). “The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization”. New York: Currency.
SENGE, P.M. (2006). “The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization”. New York, Random House Business.
SIN, C., AMARAL, A. (2017), “Academics’ and employers’ perceptions about responsibilities for employability and their initiatives towards its development.”, High Education 73, 97–111.
SIN, C., NEAVE, G. (2016), “Employability Deconstructed: Perceptions of Bologna Stakeholders.”, Studies in Higher Education 41 (8): 1–16.
STOLOFF, J.A., GLANVILLE, J.L., BIENENSTOCK, E.J. (1999), “Women’s participation in the labor force: the role of social networks”, Social Networks, 21, pp. 91–108.
SU, W., ZHANG, M. 82015), “An integrative model for measuring graduates’ employability skills. A study in China.” Cogent Bus. Manag. 2015, 2, 1–11.
SUCCI, C., CANOVI, M. (2020), “Soft skills to enhance graduate employability: comparing students and employers’ perceptions”. Studies in Higher Education, 45:9, 1834-1847.
SULEMAN, F. (2018), “The employability skills of higher education graduates: Insights into conceptual frameworks and methodological options.” High. Educ., 76, 263–278
TASKER, M., PACKHAM, D. (1994), “Government, higher education and the industrial ethic”, Higher Education Quarterly, 48, 182–193.
TEICHLER, U. (2009). “Higher education and the world of work. Conceptual frameworks, comparative perspectives, empirical findings.”, The Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
TYMON, A. (2013), “The student perspective on employability”, Studies in Higher Education, Vol. 38 No. 6, pp. 841-856.
TOMLINSON, M. (2012), “Graduate Employability: A Review of Conceptual and Empirical Themes.” Higher Education Policy 25 (4): 407–431.
UNIONCAMERE-ANPAL, SISTEMA INFORMATIVO EXCELSIOR (2022), “Previsione dei fabbisogni occupazionali e professionali in Italia a medio termine (2022-2026)”.
WHO. (1993), “Life Skills Education in Schools.” Skills for Life 1. Genève.
WIEK, A., KEELER, L., REDMAN, C. (2011), “Key Competencies in Sustainability: A Reference Framework for Academic Program Development.” Sustainability Science. 6. 203-218.
