Study shows: These are the skills that companies are looking for

The Adecco Group Swiss Job Market Index, the scientifically based study by the Adecco Group Switzerland and the Job Market Monitor Switzerland of the University of Zurich, provides an insight into the most important skills. 

The downward trend on the Swiss labor market is continuing at the start of 2024. The Adecco Group Swiss Job Market Index, which already showed a decline of 4% in the last quarter (Q4 2023), shows a further decrease in job vacancies of 3%. Compared to the same quarter of the previous year (Q1 2023), the decline is even 4%. The index thus reached a level in the first quarter of 2024 that is comparable to that of the first quarter of 2022.

"After a marked slowdown in job growth in 2023, the job market recorded a further decline at the start of 2024. Despite this development, the current situation on the labor market remains extremely positive compared to the years before the pandemic," says Marcel Keller, Country President Adecco Group Switzerland.

Special focus: Skills on the labor market

The latest developments on the labor market are reflected in the population's perception, as shown by the consumer sentiment survey conducted by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) for the month of February. This survey reveals a deterioration in labor market indicators with regard to perceived job security and expectations of unemployment trends. The results of the survey and the current development of the Job Index thus signal that the job search has become more challenging. "Those who specifically acquire the skills that employers are looking for increase their chances of success," says Yanik Kipfer from Job Market Monitor Switzerland.

In order to better understand the requirements of the labor market, the study analyzed the demand for skills in five different occupational groups. The occupational groups range from office and service professions, IT and industrial professions to healthcare professions. The aim was to identify the five most important skills per occupational group that are particularly in demand by employers.

This showed that leadership skills are particularly sought after across different occupational groups. It also became clear that IT skills are not only important in IT professions, but also in technical professions.

For the evaluation, we took a closer look at the skills mentioned in the job advertisements. In job advertisements, companies provide information about the necessary and desired characteristics, skills and knowledge for a position. In particular, those requirements are explicitly mentioned that are particularly important, are not already taken for granted or are not implicitly covered by training.

Commercial and administrative specialists

The occupational group of commercial and administrative specialists includes professions such as event managers, customer service managers and real estate agents. Employers in this occupational group place particular value on leadership skills and qualities, as these professions often have to take responsibility for teams or projects. This gives applicants with proven leadership experience a clear advantage over other candidates.

In addition to management experience, employers also require a strong awareness of costs (e.g. in the management and use of resources) and a deep understanding of the market. For example, an event manager must be able to meet budget targets, while a real estate agent needs in-depth knowledge of the real estate market in order to correctly assess the value of a property.

Specialists in healthcare professions

The occupational group of specialists in healthcare professions includes nurses, medical professionals and pharmacists. At the top of the list of the most important skills in this occupational group is a sound professional competence - i.e. a comprehensive mastery of the specialist field. For example, an emergency doctor must have both solid theoretical knowledge and practical experience in order to be able to diagnose the symptoms of a heart attack and intervene accordingly. Leadership skills are also required. In this professional group, work often takes place in a team context. Surgical interventions require coordinated collaboration between surgeons, nurses and anesthetists. This can give surgeons with leadership skills and experience, for example, a decisive advantage.

Furthermore, social skills and a positive attitude are essential skills. Specialists in healthcare professions, such as nurses, must be able to deal with complex, unpredictable and stressful situations without neglecting the human side of their work.

"In healthcare professions, professional expertise and social skills are closely linked. Empathy and understanding form the basis for the successful implementation of specialist knowledge. This is the only way to ensure comprehensive and holistic care," says Corinne Scheiber, VP Adecco Medical Switzerland.

Professions in the field of personal services

The personal services sector includes professions such as cooks, service professionals and housekeeping managers. Many professions in this occupational group, such as chefs de service, are entrusted with the management of teams, which is why professionals with management experience and qualities are highly valued by employers.

In addition to leadership skills, employers place particular value on employees who have a high level of cleanliness, physical resilience and a keen awareness of hygiene (health-related skills and competencies). These skills are crucial for maintaining a safe and productive working environment. At the same time, a good physical condition enables employees to effectively meet the physical challenges of their work, such as long periods of standing in service occupations. In addition, as with health specialists, a certain degree of flexibility is also required from applicants.

Engineering and comparable specialists

In the occupational group of engineering specialists and comparable specialists, which includes chemical laboratory technicians, electrical engineers and mechanical engineers, for example, both comprehensive IT skills and regulatory knowledge are of great importance. The focus is particularly on IT skills, such as the use of CAD software (computer-aided design). Knowledge of programs such as AutoCAD, Revit and SolidWorks is often mentioned here. These tools are required for designing products and creating technical plans. Equally important is knowledge of programming programmable logic controllers (PLCs). PLCs are computer systems used in industry to automatically control and monitor machines and production processes. In addition to expertise in CAD and PLCs, mastery of various project management software solutions, such as Microsoft Project, is also highly valued. These make it possible to plan and implement projects and production processes efficiently. The use of Office programs is also an important skill for specialists in this occupational group.

In addition to digital skills, employers place particular value on a deep understanding of legal and organizational guidelines, which are particularly crucial for adhering to compliance standards and ensuring quality in product development. Above all, knowledge of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) is often emphasized in job advertisements for this occupational group. This is due to the fact that many specialists from this occupational group are employed in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries, where GMP and cGMP are considered standards for the manufacture of pharmaceutical products. "Advancing digitalization has permanently changed the technical professions and the use of computer technologies has become indispensable. IT skills have therefore become an essential part of the qualification profile of technicians," adds James Peck, VP LHH Recruitment Solutions Switzerland.

Developers and analysts of software and IT applications

The professional group of developers and analysts of software and IT applications includes various IT specialists such as system architects, software engineers and test automation engineers. At the top of the skills ranking in this occupational group are skills and knowledge in the design of graphical user interfaces. Knowledge of responsive design, UI (user interface) and UX (user experience) is particularly in demand here. Skills in software testing and requirements engineering - the process of determining what a new software or system should be able to do based on the wishes and needs of users - are also essential for employers in this occupational group. These skills are crucial for translating user needs into technical specifications and ensuring the development of error-free applications.

Configuration management is also one of the top five skills. This is a process that ensures the consistent and controlled setup and maintenance of computer systems. This ensures that these systems function reliably and that changes to these systems can be made smoothly. For example, expertise in Docker, a technology for running software in isolated environments (containers), and Jenkins, a tool for automating software testing and deployment, is particularly valued. Finally, employees are also expected to have knowledge of programming languages; knowledge of Java, Javascript, C# or Python is particularly valuable here.

"The technology landscape in software development is constantly changing: new technologies are emerging, while others are losing importance. This requires software developers not only to familiarize themselves with the technologies currently prevailing on the market, but also to keep an eye on future developments. A recently published study by the Adecco Group underlines this need: "The study shows that the increasing use of artificial intelligence in companies will significantly increase the demand for specialists with digital and AI-specific skills in the near future," says Stéphane Dévarenne, Head of Operations Switzerland, Akkodis.

Source: www.adeccogroup.com