The green transition is already having a direct impact on organizations and the configuration of their teams. So much so, that it is positioning itself as one of the major drivers in job creation in the coming years. To delve into this issue, the conference ‘Spain, the European engine for green job creation’, organized by ManpowerGroup, featured the participation of Cepsa, Día España, Huawei, and Transfesa Logistics. Experts from these companies have shared their challenges and strategies, as well as their organizations’ vision on how this transformation is impacting their talent management.
During the event, the main results of the ‘Quarterly Employment Projection Study’ for the months of April to June were reviewed, with positive hiring intentions remaining at 14%. The Technology sector leads in Spain (34%), followed by Financial and real estate (24%) and Energy and utilities (20%).
Regarding the ‘Talent Mismatch Study’, María S. Vargas, Director of Communications at ManpowerGroup Spain, noted that, despite unfavorable data, the percentage of companies reporting difficulties in hiring profiles has improved compared to 2023, decreasing by two points to 78%. “To address this situation, flexibility with schedules and telecommuting are the main tools that companies are betting on to attract and retain talent,” she pointed out.
Within this context, the latest changes affecting companies and professionals and how sustainable transition is already a reality were analyzed. Having qualified talent is key to creating new employment opportunities in green profiles. “We must talk about circular economy applied to talent as a factor to increase the competitiveness and sustainability of organizations,” the executive summarized.
Rafael Fernández Qundez, Talent Director at Cepsa, highlighted the necessary collaboration between the public and private sectors and companies from different industries to address the challenge of energy transition: “this transformation is only possible if we put people at the center and help them develop their full potential. At Cepsa, we are promoting upskilling programs, reskilling, profile management, and planning to prepare professionals with the skills required by the energy transition and tackle this great challenge together.”
The report ‘Green Molecules: The impending revolution in the European job market’, jointly developed by Cepsa and ManpowerGroup, anticipates Spain’s leadership in the next two decades in European green hydrogen production. Our country will generate the most jobs related to these new fuels, with 181,000 by 2040, ahead of the United Kingdom (173,000), Germany (145,000), and France (105,000).
In the round table that closed the conference, César Vázquez, HR Director at Día España; Juan Bru, Senior Human Resources Manager at Huawei; and Carlos Saldaña, HR and Sustainability Director at Transfesa Logistics, shared the challenges and talent attraction strategies that each of their companies is implementing to address, among other factors, the green transition.
The professional team at Día España is composed of 97% women. Diversity is, therefore, a priority for the company, as highlighted by HR Director, César Vázquez. “In the last three years, we have been making a great effort to promote diversity within the company and make employees aware of it. The challenge of job creation is a problem that we must address as soon as possible, as we are heading towards a collapse issue where companies stop growing due to a lack of professionals. For this reason, the equation between the educational system and the profiles that companies really demand is essential.”
Juan Bru, Senior Human Resources Manager at Huawei, emphasized that the corporate culture of companies must align with their roadmap. “Our efforts in CSR focus on education and training to provide society with the necessary and demanded skills and close the existing gap. Ultimately, it is about training professionals that allow us to continue operating.”
The Transport, logistics, and automotive sector is one of the most cautious in terms of employment projection estimates for the second quarter, at 3%. This industry, according to Carlos Saldaña, HR and Sustainability Director at Transfesa, “has a problem attracting and retaining profiles for more operational positions, which is even more evident when it comes to women. In that sense, dual vocational training is an important catalyst for companies, as well as training young talent through the most experienced profiles within the companies themselves.”