ANALYTICAL TOOLS FOR IDENTIFYING SKILL NEEDS: part of the social innovation tool-kit?

Sanja Crnković-Pozaić

Croatia

socialinnovation2011@b2match.eu, Vienna

Themes today

• Working definition of social innovation

• Social innovation skills

• Metodology of identifying skill needs

• Possible uses in pursuit of social innovation

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Definition of social innovation• Development requires the increase of

both material and social welfare• As much as innovation in marketable

goods and services creates material welfare, so

• Social innovation creates new value in the sphere of social welfare

• Therefore, social innovation is both a concept and a strategy for achieving balanced and sustainable development

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Making social innovation possible• Resources available in a country for

social innovation determine the potential for achieving value added in the public good

• Types of resources needed:– Political will / setting objectives – Policy framework – Financial resources– Human resources– Institutional infrastructure

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Possible fields of interest for social innovation

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Skills for social development• Understanding both the supply and the

demand for skills in the 5 outlined fields is key to promoting social innovation

• The questions we will be asking:– Which occupations are dominant in the fields of

social development?– Which skill mixes are needed for the dominant

fields?– What are the long term trends in demand for relevant

occupations?– What are the characteristics of labour supply for the

given occupations?– How do labour demand and supply match up?

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About skill sectors

• A skill sector includes:– Qualifications, – occupations and competences

which belong to a particular field of knowledge

• All skill levels are present from research to higher education, to simple occupations for which no qualifications are required, only practical experience

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The skill sector is rather like a tree

• Roots are the qualifications• When knowledge is applied in a

work environment occupations result

• The branches are economic activities or industries where occupations are applied

• The highest branches signify higher knowledge content

• The horizontal spread of the branches signifies the application of knowledge in very many industries

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High dispersion of occupations in the ICT industry

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High concentration in the Forestry skill sector

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Long term trends in ICT key industries, 2000-2011

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The social innovation fields in Croatia(data 1Q 2011)

Ecology and environment

• 5 economic activities

• 29 occupations

• 19,603 employed

• 12 skill sectors

Research and development

• 2 economic activities

• 6 occupations

• 3,320 employed

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Education• 5 economic

activities

• 29 occupations

• 19,603 employed

• 12 skill sectors

Public administration•7 economic activities•55 occupations•92,126 employed•18 skill sectors

The application to Croatia• Social welfare

– 5 economic activities– 13 occupations– 15,749 employed– 7 skill sectors

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Health– 5 economic activities–41 occupations–72,204 employed–14 skill sectors

Social networks• 3 economic

activities

• 5 occupations

• 2,578 employed

• 5 skill sectors

Skill sectors in Social Welfare, 2011-Q1, %

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The demand for social welfare services, education and health is growing

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Steps in assessing demand for skills : some conclusions

• Steps taken:– Identify key economic sectors– Trace occupations within them– Group occupations into similar skill

sectors– Look at long term trends in

employment of key economic sectors– Work out the skill structure of each

economic sector and estimate roughly the demand for skills.

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Assessing supply of skills for the whole health and social welfare sector in Croatia

• Look at qualifications linked to the skill sector

• Lower level of analysis to the region• Look at replacement demand for each

key industry• Compare annual replacement with

unemployed and new entrants to the labour market

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Matching supply and demand Health and social welfare skill sector, 2010DEMAND• Total employment in sector – 80,784• Employees aged 50-64 – 34,4%• Annual retirement – 1,853• No. of vacancies 2010 – 7,129• Demand is expected to grow

SUPPLY• Unemployed with health occupations – 6,735• New entrants from education – 1,146• Total supply – 6,735

Replacement demand – 6,735-1,853= +4,882

Replacement with youth – minus 70718

What have we learned?

• The demand for skills in the health and social welfare sector will be fuelled by demographic change, longevity and the increasing pace of change

• There is short term excess supply of skills and there is more than adequate replacement demand

• There is medium term rise in demand as shown by the number of vacancies in relation to the number of unemployed

• The enrolment in health related qualifications is falling in time and more students carry on to higher education

• The long term prospects for this skill sector are not good and the only way out may have to be immigration.

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Conclusions – uses of the methodology• Planning qualifications, enrolment

quotas• Understanding demand for mediation

and career guidance• Human resource strategies for regional

development• Industrial sector strategies

• Employment promotion plans• HUMAN RESOURCE NEEDS FOR

SOCIAL INNOVATION?20

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

Contact: sanja.crnkovic@gmail.com

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