Based on the report “Modern Business Services Sector in Poland 2024” by ABSL, business leaders plan to combat the shortage of talent in the job market by increasing the employment of individuals from the 35+ age group and foreigners. In addition, it is expected that in the longer term, working from home and remote work, along with technological advancements and artificial intelligence, will reduce the severity of the talent shortage.
Despite the unfavorable demographic situation, the situation in the Polish labor market is becoming more optimistic from year to year. In the “World Talent Ranking 2024” by IMD World Competitiveness Center, we are already in 36th place, which means an increase of eight positions compared to 2023 and 14 spots from 2022.
According to the Randstad “Workmonitor 2024”, 72% of employees express a desire to develop skills useful at work. Thirty-four percent of those surveyed would quit a job that doesn’t offer opportunities for developing future competencies, and 36% would not accept a job offer that doesn’t include this benefit. Employees perceive the transformative nature of artificial intelligence as strongly as business leaders do. In recent years, awareness of the need for upskilling and reskilling has significantly increased, and the use of AI tops the list of skills that employees want to develop.
The vice president of ABSL in charge of talents, Bartosz Poździk, notes that “The dynamics of changes related to the integration of modern technologies, including artificial intelligence, have a significant impact on the structure of the labor market. In the short term, the effects of this influence are ambiguous – despite ongoing transformation, many companies are still in the stage of planning the implementation of these technologies.
In the “Modern Business Services Sector in Poland 2024” report, flexible working hours ranked second (90%) among the most desired employee benefits, just after private healthcare. Mental health programs also held a relatively high position, with 65.2% indications. This data corresponds to the current trend of focusing on the balance between professional and private life.
Edyta Janas, Senior Client Partner at Randstad Sourceright EMEA, observes, “When planning the next career step, work-life balance has become even more important than a higher salary. Employees want to develop and acquire new skills, but they also expect an understanding of their motivations and effective communication from employers.
According to data compiled by Colliers for the “Hybrid & Beyond 2024” report, 60% of companies encourage employees to return to the office, but 88% of them encounter resistance from employees. To secure the opportunity to acquire the best talents in the job market, employers must offer the benefit of hybrid work.
Dorota Osiecka, Partner at Colliers Define, adds, “Hybrid work is now the norm and is certainly here to stay, and its presence in the company’s drawing of talents in the job market is evident. In this situation, organizations should focus on actions that allow for effective management of dispersed teams. To combat the risks associated with a dispersed work model, it is worth implementing solutions that monitor workloads or ensure effective communication within teams and entire organizations.
The best strategy is to diagnose areas where hybrid risks may arise, using tools like the Hybrid Barometer, and then take targeted corrective and preventive actions.”
Source: https://managerplus.pl/zwiekszenie-zatrudnienia-osob-35-i-rozwoj-pracy-zdalnej-jako-klucz-do-walki-z-niedoborem-talentow-raport-absl-2024
