Six in ten Portuguese companies had problems hiring people with the right skills to meet their needs, a problem that affects all economic sectors. This is the main problem identified by national SMEs in their responses to a European Union survey, in which they demand tax benefits, namely through the reduction of the TSU to social security, and through requalification measures. Direct subsidies are also welcome.
These are figures from the Eurobarometer on skills shortages in SMEs, for which the European Commission is responsible, and which were announced yesterday as part of the SME Meeting, which ends today in Bilbao, Spain.
The research is the result of a survey of more than 13,000 small and medium-sized European companies – and another four thousand from non-EU countries such as Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Turkey, the US, Canada and Japan. – shows that the lack of resources is the main problem highlighted by 54% of respondents, followed by regulatory obstacles and administrative burdens, both highlighted by 34% of SMEs, and problems with finances, namely due to late payments, a concern for 21% of businesses.
In Portugal, problems with finances are reported by 15% of companies, compared to 21% of the EU average and 43% of Greeks or 32% and 30% of Hungarian and Spanish SMEs. The biggest concern for Portuguese companies is the difficulty of hiring people with the right qualifications, highlighted by 52% of respondents, followed by regulatory obstacles and bureaucracy (22%) and the company’s transition to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly business ( 18%). Each company could choose three options.
In total, 40% of companies reported having had “a lot of difficulty” and 22% “some difficulty” in finding employees with the right qualifications over the past two years. That is 6 in 10 companies. As in other European countries, it is the more technical roles that are the most difficult to fill (31%), along with research and development specialists (16%), sales or customer service professionals (15%) and specialists in IT (13%) . ).
While 76% of respondents say it takes up to six months to fill a vacancy – compared to an EU average of 62% – and 48% of companies say they have up to five vacancies due to a lack of adequate workforce – 52% in Europe – it is no wonder that 45% of Portuguese SMEs admit that the impact of this is the overburdening of other workers. Higher production costs, lower productivity and difficulties in maintaining quality standards are other consequences highlighted, as well as loss of sales. Despite this, 45% of respondents in Portugal have no plans to implement the use of artificial intelligence.
A quarter of national SMEs tried to recruit within the European Union and 20% in non-EU countries. Bureaucratic problems, the language barrier and the lack of suitable candidates were the main problems identified. It should be noted that more than half (57%) of those who tried to recruit in EU countries say they had no problems doing so.
When asked what type of external support would be useful for companies to address the lack of qualified personnel, tax incentives come to the fore: in total, 38% of answers are on the European average and 43% of the Portuguese, followed by requalification of the profession (30). % in the EU and 43% in Portugal) and direct subsidies (28% European responses, 21% Portuguese). In fact, 39% of Portuguese companies say they have carried out training and requalification actions to solve the problem, while 37% are also trying to improve the salaries and working conditions offered.
“The lack of qualified workers started as a specific situation in some countries and sectors, but today it is one of the top three problems identified by small and medium-sized businesses. And this is expected to worsen as the European economy recovers and the population ages,” said Bonifácio Garcia Porras, Head of Unit at the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG Grow) from the European Commission, for whom the issue will “put pressure on the competitiveness” of companies, “creating risks”. of closure”.
A problem that is transversal for almost all types of companies and sectors. It varies between 61% of micro businesses, 77% of small and 80% of medium businesses citing a lack of qualifications as an obstacle to hiring new workers, and 85% of large companies. As for industries, 86% in tourism, 65% in textiles and 67% in construction. At the end of the table are the aerospace and defense industry, with 50%, energy and renewables with 62%, and digital activities with 56% of respondents.
Bonifácio Garcia Porras admitted that this is the “main challenge” facing European SMEs, along with other challenges such as inflation, and recalled that in September the European Commission presented a support package for SMEs that includes a revision of the Payments Directive. . This official also assured that Brussels will be “very alert” to the transposition of the new directive by Member States.
Róza Thund und Hohenstein, MEP and rapporteur of the directive, states that “the lack of a culture of timely payments is damaging the survival of many companies and especially SMEs”. However, he guarantees that this culture is ‘stronger’ in small companies than in large companies. Regarding the lack of qualified personnel, Róza speaks of a “very political” issue closely linked to migration, ensuring that there are many refugees with “huge potential” at educational level and that this is not properly managed exploited due to regulations and laws “are not suitable for the needs and capabilities of these people.”
*The journalist traveled at the invitation of the European Commission
Ilídia Pinto is a journalist for Dinheiro Vivo
Source: DN
