Spain now has 11 million workers without recognized qualifications

The labor market is moving towards polarization in the qualification of workers. Spain today has a good number of highly qualified professionals living side by side with others without recognized qualifications. This is one of the limitations in a space increasingly marked by the irruption of the intelligence artificial intelligenceautomation automation and the prominence of technology platforms.

Far from being a distant threat, these advances are already defining what profiles are in demand, how people learn and what it means to be prepared to work. At the recent technology congress DigitalES Summit, experts from various sectors, from the CEOE to large companies and universities, gathered to unpack the challenges and opportunities of this transformation, shedding light on a complex scenario but full of potential.

Evolution of the labor market: new profiles and structural challenges

In a debate led by journalist Gorka Pérez, Juan Carlos Tejeda Gorka Pérez, Juan Carlos Tejedadirector of CEOE’s Education and Training Department, highlighted the profound changes in the composition of the Spanish workforce.

The market, she said, has become feminized and has experienced a immigration has been increasingly incorporated into theThe company is considered to have positive aspects. However, it also faces a aging of the population and a and a later incorporation of young people.

A critical point is the polarization of qualificationsThe skills gap, with an abundance of highly qualified professionals and, at the same time, a significant number of workers with no recognized qualifications.

Today’s companies are looking for an immediate incorporation workers, which has led to a boom in vocational training. Vocational Training for its technical approach. According to Tejeda, there is a demand for “specialized hybridization”.where deep specialization is combined with a comprehensive knowledge of the production environment.

Surprisingly, and as Carmen from the Universidad Oberta de Cataluña points out, the “soft skills” or “soft competencies” of the “soft skills (communication, leadership, uncertainty (communication, leadership, uncertainty management) are increasingly valued, even in the most technical profiles, as automation frees humans for tasks that require a more interpersonal essence.

Weaknesses of the training system

The experts’ debate highlighted the shortcomings of the current Spanish training system. According to Juan Carlos Tejeda, the reform of university education has missed the opportunity to forge closer ties with the business world. While the Vocational Training has undergone a good reform, its implementation is key. Tejeda insists on this with data in hand. Only 28% of workers were trained last year (far from the target of 60% by 2030), and only 20% of companies used their training credit.

This means that there are still 11 million workers without recognized qualifications, and Spain’s results in basic skills such as reading, mathematics and problem solving can be improved. A striking statistic is the accumulation of 2 .800 million from the vocational training quota that has not been used. In essence, training is still anchored in methodologies and contents of the 20th century to address the needs of the 21st century.

Advances in public administration and business

From the public administration, Gerardo Gutiérrez Ardoy of the State Public Employment Service (SEPE) highlights significant advances. Among them, he mentions the technological modernization of the information systems, the creation of the first public training platform in Europe (through FUNDAE) which incorporates training contents on a continuous basis, and the launching of the Digitalízate platform, with more than 59 companies involved and 13,000 training resources, which has registered more than 8 million visits.

He stressed the importance of prioritizing the quality of employment and productivity, especially in high quality sectors such as ICT, research and healthcare, and called for public policies to be more specific and to target disadvantaged groups with financial aid and personalized support.

Technology companies, such as Digi, are also taking action. Ignacio Herreros, General Counsel of the telecommunications company, explained at DigitalES Summit the difficulties in finding technical profiles due to the high demand. With more than 9500 direct employees, Digi is committed to internal training and promotion of its professionals; career plans and mentoring; training in soft skills (communication, leadership, team management) and constant adaptation to technological advances.

Spain, “talent pool

However, the problems facing the Spanish labor market are not unique to Spain. The aging of the population (an impact underestimated 25 years ago), the lack of specialized training and the scarce incorporation of young people in technological and industrial fields affect the entire European continent.

Infojobs perceives our country as a “talent pool”. This is how it explains it César Apariciocommercial director of Infojobs, who pointed out the lack of competitive salaries and the greater predisposition of the new generations to emigrate as the main reasons why many qualified young people opt for European destinations.

The role of universities

In spite of university overqualification, there is a 37% drop in the number of engineering graduates in Spain between 2015 and 2022. between 2015 and 2022, which contrasts with the huge demand for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) profiles.

For Carmen Pagésdirector of the Labor Research and Analysis Unit and researcher at the Economics and Business Studies Department of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, the fundamental problem lies in mathematics education in primary, secondary and high school, which is too focused on memorization and mechanics, and not on play, discovery and practical application.

To attract more young people, it is crucial to show them the creative potential and the tools these skills offer through real projects. The university, according to Pagés, must move from training only 18-25-year-olds to offering lifelong” continuing educationThe emergence of a new, almost subscription-based, model. In this sense, the emergence of microcredentials (short, verifiable, labor market-focused courses) represents a major innovation to adapt to a more mature audience and changing employment needs.

Impact of Artificial Intelligence

One of the central topics of debate at the DigitalES Summit was the impact of artificial intelligence on the labor market. On this point, César Aparicio (Infojobs) highlighted the growing demand for profiles related to this technology, as revealed by the latest Emerging Employment Report of the association

The expert provided revealing data: the demand for profiles such as machine learning engineers has grown between 500% and 600%. 500% y 600% in recent years. The use of AI tools in the professional arena has also skyrocketed from 23% to 34% in just a year and a half. Encouragingly, the fear of AI eliminating jobs is diminishing, especially as professionals become more familiar with these tools.especially as professionals become more familiar with these tools.

In short, the DigitalES Summit debate made it clear that the digital era demands a comprehensive transformation in training and employment. transformation in training and employment. Collaboration between administrations, companies and universities is more crucial than ever to close skills gaps, boost job quality and ensure that no one is left behind in this unstoppable technological evolution. The future is here, and with it, the opportunity to build a more adaptable, skilled and humane labor market.

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