Employers' Expectations of Hard and Soft Competencies of Economics Graduates

• Autorzy: Maciej Walczak , Bernard Ziębicki , Małgorzata Tyrańska , Tomasz Kafel
• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

Purpose: The purpose of the research was to identify employers' expectations regarding the hard and soft competencies of economics graduates. Design/methodology/approach: The research was conducted in 312 companies in the Małopolska region that employ graduates of economic studies. The survey was cross-sectional and consisted of collecting opinions directly from employers in various industries, representing companies of different sizes, as well as various institutions. Computer-assisted surveying (CAPI method) and telephone survey (CATI method) were used as research tools. The results of the study were subjected to statistical analysis. Findings: Employers consider soft competencies of economics graduates more important than hard competencies. The most desirable soft competencies are responsibility, ethical conduct, ability to organize own work and ability to communicate effectively. Among hard competencies, employers consider subject matter knowledge in marketing, accounting and finance, logistics, personnel management and information technology, IT skills (such as office packages, e.g. MS Office) and analytical skills (information and data processing, reasoning) to be the most important. For the most part, differences in the perceived importance of competencies by employers of business graduates do not depend on the size of the company, the industry, or the percentage of business graduates employed at the company. Research limitations/implications: Further research will be related to identifying the competencies required from the perspective of new challenges, such as digitization and the replacement of human labor by artificial intelligence. Practical implications: Findings from the research can help align the educational offerings of economics degree programs with current labor market expectations. In addition, the results of the research can provide valuable information for students who are planning their careers and want to know what employers expect in terms of competencies. Originality/value: The result of the research is the ranking of expected competencies according to employers, as well as the determination of the relationship between hard and soft competencies of economics graduates. (original abstract)

Słowa kluczowe

EN

Higher education graduates; Competences; Soft competencies; Competence gap

PL

Absolwenci szkół wyższych; Kompetencje; Kompetencje miękkie; Luka kompetencyjna

• Czasopismo: Zeszyty Naukowe. Organizacja i Zarządzanie / Politechnika Śląska
• Rocznik: 2023
• Numer: z. 175 Contemporary management = Współczesne zarządzanie
• Strony: 561--580

Twórcy

autor

Maciej Walczak

• Cracow University of Economics, Poland

autor

Bernard Ziębicki

• Cracow University of Economics, Poland

autor

Małgorzata Tyrańska

• Cracow University of Economics, Poland

autor

Tomasz Kafel

• Cracow University of Economics, Poland

Bibliografia

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Identyfikatory

DOI

10.29119/1641-3466.2023.175.36