The technological acceleration is transforming the labor market in Ecuador. It is already beginning to be observed on platforms such as LinkedIn that companies demand much more complex professional profiles and with specific essential digital skills.
In a search carried out this week by EL UNIVERSO, it was observed that skills in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or digital talent management appear as requirements to apply for jobs.
Critical thinking and problem solving top the list of skills employers choose when hiring.
The pandemic has shown the need for both SMEs and large companies to better structure their digital capacity to attract customers, hence they require professionals with these skills. Analysts affirm that this parameter will remain established in the country even if the virus is overcome.
And that is why young people should not only see traditional professions as an option when choosing what to study, but also have to analyze the so-called digital careers, since they will have sustained growth in the medium and long term. This is due to the fact that the country’s connectivity indices have risen (except for 2020, since a setback was registered due to the pandemic and the economic crisis) in recent years.
“Only 22,000 Ecuadorians work in the technology market. It is little and the opportunities are many, which is why companies are currently requiring it ”, says Juanjo Amorín, founder of Edix, a center for digital experts at the International University of La Rioja (UNIR).
While it has always been said that the technological revolution will “destroy” jobs or wipe out some traditional professions, it will also create job opportunities. However, the difference lies in the level of expertise and specialization that will be required, says Ismael El-Qudsi, founder of SocialPubli.com and who has worked in companies such as Telefónica and Microsoft.
“A clear example of this is e-commerce, where programmers, experts in data analytics and SEO are required, but also delivery people and messengers. The challenge now is to detect which profiles are in demand and train in them ”, he says.
Elena Ibáñez is the founder of Singularity Experts, a Spanish platform that is capable of predicting the jobs that suit a person best based on her holistic profile.
She claims that 85% of new jobs globally will be related to technology, but a very small margin of college students are enrolling in so-called STEM (scientific-technical) careers.
Wilson Merino, executive director of CONQUITO, affirms that the digital gaps in Ecuador’s higher education are “enormous” and that this causes inequalities to continue to widen.
He adds that the country must bet on a “transformative” education, use social networks and the “knowledge revolution.”
For the specialist, the pandemic also demonstrated the fragility of the educational system, since thousands of young people do not have access to a computer to access university.
In fact, during the last day of the exam for access to higher education, the Senescyt had to enable 321 face-to-face places to take the test for 12,190 students who did not have internet or an electronic device.
“We are in a moment of awakening. We have to adapt quickly to a complex moment and start to change all the time to bring better opportunities to our young people, ”says Merino.
The paradox, according to the specialist, is that you have companies that demand qualified labor in digital issues, but you have young people without accessing training due to the shortcomings mentioned above. This is one of the triggers for unemployment to impact more on the youth of the country.
Critical thinking and problem solving top the list of skills employers believe will be needed in the next four years, according to the World Economic Forum. This means that at least half of the workforce will have to reinvent itself or be replaced by people with these skills.
The international body considers that there are ten aptitudes or abilities that workers must possess to guarantee their success in the labor market. These are divided into four groups: ability to solve problems, ability to self-manage, ability to use and develop technology, ability to work in a team.
