Why hasn’t the problem already been solved?
1_Sustained growth allowed ignorance
Swiss industry has done well over the past twenty years. It is adaptable. Instead of chemical products, pharmaceutical specialities are produced in Basel. Instead of watches, sophisticated medical products are manufactured in the Jura Arc. The added value of the manufactured products has increased by 60 percent in the last twenty years. Swiss exports of chemical and pharmaceutical products have more than tripled since 2000. The stable and sustained growth with good value creation continues to attract many EU citizens to Switzerland. So, you can ignore the skills shortage to a great extent.
2_Reindustrialisation
In the midth of this development, the coronavirus crisis has shown us the vulnerability of supply chains. That is why many companies are opting for a production location in Europe. Plant engineering celebrates new heights. This time one has to track down the rare project managers in engineering, Capex experts, validation engineers, or process technicians. For this kind of production, all countries need the same highly trained specialists with the corresponding knowledge at the same time. This new development worsens the staff shortage even further.
3_Supply and demand are not reflected in the price
The training figures, and therefore apparently also the the attractiveness of STEM professions are lagging behind the demand for skilled workers, regardless of all stimulation activities. Apart from improvements in the IT sector, entry-level wages have not changed in 25 years. A degree in natural sciences followed by a doctorate takes ten years. But there is a discrepancy between effort and return, if one compares this rate with the wages of bank staff, for instance. Other degree programmes appear easier to access and promise a faster return on investment. Until now, Switzerland simply drew on the talent pool of neighbouring countries. However, the coronavirus pandemic has raised psychological barriers for professionals from neighbouring countries: they are less willing to move to another country and start over.
4_Lack of flexibility in job profiles
Employers are reluctant to respond flexibly to the shortage of skilled workers. Large companies are already offering attractive opportunities to work from home. They finance further training, grant parental leave, allow part-time working and much more. However, many SMEs do not want to accommodate new workforce needs of this kind and are therefore playing catch-up with this development. Also, a lot of older managers are shaped by their own experiences. They have known little freedom themselves and therefore don’t show much sympathy for the " luxurious problems" of younger employees. Many specialist profiles in job advertisements are still narrowly defined - while on the other hand the list of demands is getting longer. Thus, the search for suitable staff takes months. This curbs productivity.
5_Additional demands in the industry
As more industrial companies are also supplying services, the demands on their staff are changing. That is why good candidates must not only have a suitable degree, but they are also business fluent in English. They can build sustainable relationships internally and externally and contribute effectively to project groups. They can act in complex matrix structures and are suitable to develop into managerial roles in the mid term. These increased demands further limit choices. For technical and scientific specialists do not always impress with their linguistic eloquence or outstanding social skills.
6_The baby boomers are retiring
The development has long been known but is very topical. The children of the 60s are turning sixty! Larger companies are sending them into early retirement. Well earning professionals in this age group end their professional careers before turning 65. In the last two years, we have been able to place candidates aged 55+ or even 60+ in challenging management roles several times. Their ability could certainly also be made available to the market via ad interim contract roles. Small and middle scale industry did not see this potential so far and make limited use of it.
How can gloor&lang help you?
Even gloor & lang cannot conjure fantastic specialists out of a hat. But together we can work out options and variants. We define competence centres and think outside the box. Thus, we sometimes propose unconventional solutions, and try different search approaches and search strategies. Viable solutions result from this joint approach. Contact us! We look forward to supporting you.