If there is a sector on which technology and innovation have a very strong impact, it is certainly that of telecommunications where for years we have observed important work by companies on the various elements concerning human resources: the rationalization of personnel, the upgrading of people’s skills and turnover aimed at bringing the necessary skills to companies. The employment framework is certainly an element that will condition the negotiations for the new national collective labor agreement, after the last renewal agreement expired at the end of last year.
The 100,000 employees to be trained
Between now and 2025, according to the latest Asstel report, an average of over 100,000 employees per year is expected to be trained in the supply chain with around 4, 5 days per person. Focusing on the training activities implemented by Telco Operators, it emerges that a total of 55,752 people were involved in the upskilling and reskilling activities in 2021, equal to 94% of the total number of workers and that each of them attended an average of 12 days of training overall also thanks to the tools and benefits made available to companies (e.g. Fund for new skills). A figure for 2021 substantially in line with 2022. With a difference however: in fact if in 2021 upskilling was the main training category carried out by Telcos, for 2022 an increase in the number of workers involved in reskilling on new functions or new activities. The group most involved is that between 41 and 55 years (70% of employees), while workers aged between 30 and 40 and those aged over 55 are quite similar in terms of weight (respectively 13% and 15%). On the other hand, the share of people under 30 involved in these activities is marginal (3%).
The mapping of the 69 professional skills needed by the supply chain
In this regard, Asstel has elaborated a mapping of the 69 professional skills necessary for the development of the supply chain in the short and medium term, including both those that can be found through processes of reconversion/requalification of existing employment, and those that must be found on the market. To identify them, 5 factors were considered, ie the sphere and the topic of reference, the training methodology, the description of the contents, the description of the professional roles and associated skills and the work to be undertaken.
The trend of employment
In the last 11 years, the TLC supply chain has lost around 23.5% of employees and temporary workers, equal to over 31,500 heads, according to what emerges from the Report on the telecommunications supply chain of the Milan Polytechnic. Considering only TLC operators, the drop was 23.4% for a total of 18,000 heads. Comparing with the dynamics of the other countries, it emerges that the decrease in percentage value is in line with what happened in Germany (-23% for a total of 40,000 heads, however) and in France (-24% equal to 30,000 heads), while it was more contained in Spain (-15% for a total of 10,000 heads). In Italy the sector has one of the highest average company seniority, although it is slightly decreasing thanks to the policies implemented in recent years as evidenced by the presence of new people in the company, with a company seniority of less than 5 years growing from 12% at 20%. The high seniority of the company requires reflection considering the need for the Supply Chain to generate innovation in an increasingly competitive context (also in relation to the dynamics of Big Tech) and the development prospects of digital markets, also in relation to new networks.
Italy’s low level of digital skills
The Italian scenario is “aggravated” by the average level of digital skills present in our country: according to DESI 2022 data, as regards human capital, Italy ranks 25th out of 27 EU countries (same position compared to 2021 ). Our country is fourth last in Europe for population with basic digital skills (46%), against an EU average of 54% and 18th for advanced digital skills (22.5%), against an EU average of 26.5% . Furthermore, the share of companies that offered ICT training to their employees stops at 16%, against a European average of 20%. We are also last for the share of ICT graduates out of the total population with a degree (1.4% compared to an EU value of 3.9%). To deal, at least in part, with some of these problems, a collaboration agreement was established between the Ministry of Education and various institutional bodies to strengthen the role of the ITS Academy, a fundamental tool for the development of digital skills in Italy, with particular attention to the areas of the Cloud and Cybersecurity.