Last year, a whopping 80% of the C-Suite believed the skills gap—a lack of essential work skills and abilities in the workforce—was real. The gap was widest when it came to so-called soft skills like critical thinking and problem solving (41%), closely followed by hard technical skills associated with the job (39%). But this … Continue reading
The expression “zero-hours contract” is a colloquial term for a contract of service under which the worker is not guaranteed work and is paid only for work carried out. It generally leads to “a form of working where the worker is not guaranteed any work but has to be available as and when the employer … Continue reading
Attracting and retaining an engaged and productive workforce is key to the success of any organisation and, in turn, is critical to a thriving economy. With an ageing Australian population and skills shortages experienced across many industries, it is more important than ever for organisations to encourage experienced workers to remain in the workforce. Whilst … Continue reading
Over recent decades, the global economy has experienced a profound transformation, mostly as a result of the joint forces of trade integration and technological progress, accompanied by important political changes. Increased trade integration has helped to drive economic growth in both high- and low-income economies, lifting millions out of poverty in emerging and developing countries. … Continue reading
While an expanding majority of OECD countries have finally closed the massive jobs gap that opened during the Great Recession of 2008‑09, people in a number of countries are expressing rising dissatisfaction with core economic policies, including the promotion of international trade and investment. The populist backlash against globalisation challenges the policy advice offered by … Continue reading
Most of the ETF’s 29 partner countries have national qualifications frameworks (NQFs) but these mainly exist only on paper or are only partially implemented. This toolkit examines why countries are blocked and proposes solutions to speed up implementation. We go wider than the NQFs themselves. It is not about NQFs per se, but about qualification … Continue reading
Why is the assessment and recognition of foreign qualifications an important issue? OECD-wide, almost two out of three immigrants have obtained their qualifications abroad. At the same time, a substantial body of research shows that immigrants with foreign qualifications face significant barriers to unfolding their skills potential. Highly educated immigrants with foreign qualifications have lower … Continue reading
As the first crop of Gen Z talent joins the future workforce, new grads hold traditional work values with a digital spin. For the first time in years, there is an uptick in the number of new college graduates wanting to work for large companies. They are willing to commit and ready to roll up … Continue reading
Why do new college graduates end up so disillusioned, underemployed and undervalued after a couple years of work? The Accenture Strategy 2016 U.S. College Graduate Employment Study highlights the disparity between new graduate expectations and the reality of the working world, and examines how employers can improve the employee experience to attract and retain top … Continue reading
For the second year in a row, the results of the Accenture Strategy UK University Graduate Employment Study highlight a significant difference between the expectations of new university graduates and the experiences of recent graduates. The class of 2016 is entering the workforce with confidence in how they have been prepared and great expectations for … Continue reading
Immigrants have weaker literacy skills than native-born adults on average and the gap is the equivalent of 3.5 years of schooling. On average, about two-thirds of the difference in literacy proficiency between foreign- born and native-born adults is explained by how well immigrants have mastered the host country’s language and where they acquired their highest … Continue reading
Closing the skills gap is a work in progress, but business leaders are moving forward on several fronts to tackle this challenge. Business Roundtable has highlighted some of the ways that America’s largest employers are working with academia to increase the pipeline of skilled and diverse workers to join their companies and to upgrade and transform the … Continue reading
AMERICAN companies will spend over $1 billion on employee engagement in 2017 and over $100 billion on training and development activities. Yet despite this investment, employee engagement remains low, at 34 percent. Perhaps more troubling: In an increasingly unpredictable business environment, most US workers, even those who are engaged, lack the disposition to embrace unexpected … Continue reading
When it comes to the concept of a workforce “skills gap,” most IT and business executives recall hearing or seeing something about it (86% definitely or maybe), regardless of job role. However, it is a more prevalent concept within IT companies vs. organizations outside the IT industry, as well as among those who view technology … Continue reading
India has significant socioeconomic advantages over other developing countries. A thriving entrepreneurial culture, strong investor confidence, a vibrant diaspora, a young enthusiastic workforce, supportive government initiatives and growing institutional engagement combine to form a solid platform for a robust, internationally competitive economy. But beneath the surface, several challenges are becoming increasingly evident regarding the availability … Continue reading