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Only one third of the vacancies at Belgian companies are filled appropriately.
- There is an acute shortage of technical and language skills in Belgium.
- Although a majority of companies claim that older employees work just as well or even better than younger employees, only 11% of them expect to hire more people aged over 50 than they did last year.
- Belgian companies are in a weaker position than last year regarding their approach to the ageing problem. Belgium however scores relatively well on lifelong learning.
Brussels, 13 November 2008:
Belgian companies are still not taking adequate measures to deal with the ageing population in the labor market, as shown by a European study conducted by the Adecco Institute, a think-tank and research center focusing on the future of employment. More than other countries, companies in Belgium are facing an acute shortage of employees with the right knowledge and skills. More than half of Belgian companies stated that they could not find people with the right technical skills, and 4 out of 10 said they could not find people with the necessary language skills.
Belgium loses ground in Europe
In the survey, HR decision-makers at 502 Belgian companies were asked to state how they were dealing with the ageing of the population on a number of crucial areas: employee career guidance, lifelong learning, the promotion of a healthy lifestyle in the workplace, skills management and diversity. On the basis of their responses in these areas, companies were given a score of between 100 and 400 points. The average score for Belgian companies in 2008 was 182 points, which was worse than last year’s score of 185. This year, Belgium was just behind Germany and the UK (each with 186 points) and the Netherlands (183 points), equal with Italy (182 points), and before Spain (180), France (174) and Switzerland (172).
Erwin van Iersel, CEO Adecco Benelux, made the following comment: “Belgian companies seem to be having difficulty in finding ways to deal with the ageing of the population and the workforce. They are having considerable problems in filling vacancies and attracting skilled personnel. They have not placed these demographic problems high on the corporate agenda, and they are still not taking the necessary measures to deal with the situation.”
DFX 2008 Survey general results
Belgian companies are having serious problems in finding (skilled) personnel to fill vacancies.
- Belgian companies are not finding suitable candidates to fill their vacancies: the survey shows that only one third of the vacancies at Belgian companies are filled appropriately.
- Belgian companies are feeling the effects of the shortage of good personnel. The lack of specific skills and knowledge is a problem than affects companies in Belgium more than in other countries. More than half of Belgian companies stated that they could not find people with the right technical skills, and 4 out of 10 said they could not find people with the necessary language skills.
Belgian companies still lack adequate responses to workforce ageing and the lack of skilled workers.
- Belgian companies do not appear to have reached the right insights to deal with the demographic challenge.
- A large majority still look to the younger generations of employees to provide the answer. 86% of the businesses surveyed believe that the skills shortage can be addressed by improving the transition from school to work. While this is an important factor in any social context, it is however clear that improving this transition will not generate sufficient talent to meet the shortage of skilled workers in Belgium. School leavers will also comprise a shrinking proportion of the employment market.
- A positive point is that 82% of the companies state that improving HR management at their own company can help to ease the shortage of knowledge and skills.
- Belgian companies are still reluctant to hire people aged over 50. Only 11% expect to hire more people aged over 50 this year compared to last year, a decline of 7% compared to the results of the survey in 2007. 27% expect to hire fewer people over 50 this year.
Remarkably, Belgian employers report that their experience with employees aged over 50 is generally positive. A majority of companies state that older employees are just as good or even better than younger employees.
- Belgian companies appear to have difficulty gauging the scale of the demographic problem, despite the problems they face.
In a previous client survey conducted by HR services provider Adecco, three-quarters of the respondents said that the ageing of the population was not a problem at their company.
The DFX Survey for 2008 shows that companies are more pessimistic than last year regarding their prospects: the percentage of companies expecting the situation to improve in the next five years fell from 35% to 28%.
Specific results in the five areas of readiness
- Career management and guidance
- In Belgium, coaching programs are still the most popular tool, and are offered by 70% of Belgian employers. High-potential programs are growing in popularity and are now offered by four out of ten employers, compared to one in three in 2007.
- The survey shows that Belgian companies need to pay more attention to expansion and regular use of the range of career guidance tools.
- Lifelong learning
Belgian companies offer a wide variety of tools to encourage lifelong learning by employees, and more than half (56%) of employees use the tools available to them. Belgian companies score better in this area than other European countries. The results confirm that Belgian companies take lifelong learning seriously. More than half of the Belgian companies surveyed (55%) started new initiatives in the area of lifelong learning last year.
- Knowledge management
- 61% of the companies surveyed stated that they maintain standardized records of business-critical knowledge. Belgium thus scores higher in this area than the rest of Europe, where 55% maintain such records. Three-quarters of Belgian companies use targeted training to renew knowledge, again indicating the strong emphasis in Belgium on training as a standard tool in the workplace. However the survey shows that tools for knowledge management are still underused by employees.
- This indicates a trend of a decreasing emphasis on company-specific technical knowledge, which could be due to the difficulties experienced by Belgian companies in attracting technical talent. In addition to the provision of internal training to address this problem, companies may be increasingly resorting to off-the-shelf technology to meet their technological needs. This allows them to access a relatively larger number of people for assistance in maintaining this technology, at the cost of investing in business-specific technological assets.
- Health
Although 88% of Belgian companies offer medical check-ups at work, only 6% offer dietary advice and just 7% offer stress reduction programs. Facilities to promote a healthy lifestyle such as sports facilities remain an exception: less than one fifth of all companies offer such provisions.
- Diversity
- Belgian firms are strong in areas that are typically mandated by law, including age-neutral job advertisements and appointments and equal opportunity for all age groups. They also score well on performance-related remuneration systems, which are often important for motivating younger employees.
- Belgian companies attach little importance to management training on the issue of age diversity, as only 14% of companies provide such training.
Conclusions
The DFX Survey provides qualitative and quantitative information on the extent to which European companies are prepared for the rapid ageing of the population. With an average score of 182 points on a scale from 100 to 400, Belgian companies should be concerned about the current situation, particularly because this represents a decline from the score of 185 points achieved in 2007.
Demographics is not rocket science. All the measures companies can take in the areas of career management, lifelong learning, health management, knowledge management and age diversity are simple to develop and implement, as well as relatively affordable.
“For Belgium, like other European countries, the ageing of the population is a fact,” says Erwin van Iersel. “There will be a shortage of available labor in the near future, not only because of the ageing but also because there will be fewer people coming into the labor market. Some companies see the demographic challenge as still in the remote future. Sooner or later however, they will be forced to appreciate the potential and real contribution made by older employees. The ageing of the workforce is both a challenge and an opportunity.”
The full results of the survey can be downloaded from
http://www.adecco.be/ or are available on request from Jo De Brabandere, T: +32 (0)3 609 09 02,
E:
jo.debrabandere@duvalguillaume.com
About the Adecco Institute
The Adecco Institute is established as a research center to make a social contribution by providing leadership regarding employment and the effects thereof on individuals, regions and organizations.
Further information on the Adecco Institute can be found at
http://adeccoinstitute.com
About Adecco
Adecco S.A. is the global leader in HR solutions. The Adecco Group puts 700,000 people to work every day, and has a network of 36,500 employees and 6,700 offices in more than 60 countries. In Belgium, Adecco has 900 employees in more than 170 offices. In Belgium as well, the Adecco Group offers an unequalled range of flexible HR and career solutions to corporate clients and qualified candidates. More information can be found at
http://www.adecco.be/
Contact (not for publication)
Duval Guillaume
Jo De Brabandere
T: +32(0)3 60 90 902
M : +32 (0)475 97 88 40
E :
jo.debrabandere@duvalguillaume.com
Contact Adecco Institute
Shepard Fox Communications
Axel J. Schafmeister
Tel. +41 44 252 0708
axel.schafmeister@shepard-fox.com
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