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The labour market

It is important to know how the area's labour market works in order to be able to make a decision regarding the professional aim sought.

THE LABOUR MARKET

Information on the global situation of the labour market, on emerging occupations and on the professional profiles that are most valued by companies.

The labour market is very dynamic and changing.

Information on the current labour market trends and the sectors that generate employment is basic to become aware of the truth of the employment world.

It is usually influenced and regulated by the Government by means of the labour law and by a special modality of contracts, the collective bargaining agreements.

It is important to know how the area's labour market works and how the occupations behave in order to be able to make a decision regarding the professional aim sought.

The labour market has undergone important changes over the last years, both from a sociological, economic and technological point of view. These changes have provoked the extinction of certain jobs and the emergence of others. The so-called employment deposits are the fields in which the rising occupations can be found.

Knowing the current situation of the labour market and the forecasts for its evolution is beneficial when setting professional aims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE LABOUR MARKET

Generally speaking, the current labour market is known for the following characteristics:

• Increase of the presence of women in more professional sectors.
• Increase of production but reduction of jobs.
• Emergence of new professions.
• The service sector employs the most amount of workers.
• Increase of small companies in large cities, as a consequence of a productive decentralisation.
• Strong competence between companies.
• Increase of automation, generalised use of robots and industrial automatisms.
• Involvement of the workers in the functioning of the company. Organisation and initiative become more and more valued.
• Need to learn and adapt to technological changes in many professions or occupations.
• Reduction of working hours.
• Increase of labour opportunities where information, charts, data and studies are used.
• Reduction of the activity in the agricultural sector.

TRENDS OF THE LABOUR MARKET

Until about 25 years ago, working meant belonging to a company for a lifetime, with a permanent job and work contract, a regular working schedule and a collective agreement that improved the labour conditions every year.

During the last 25 years of the 20th century, the labour society has undergone intense and deep changes. Globalisation, especially regarding communications, markets and financial exchanges, has produced a new work division, an accelerated stage of company relocations and a process of concentration of capital in large oligopolies in nearly all the economic sectors.

The features of the current companies demand employees with very specific profiles and encourage the creation of new labour methods and new forms of labour relationships between workers and companies.

CHARACTERISTICS OF LABOUR RELATIONSHIPS

Labour relationships are those that are established between the employees and the company in a productive process. The employees are always physical persons, but the company can be either a physical person or a legal entity.

In modern companies, labour relationships are regulated by means of work contracts. As a consequence of the adaptation and flexibility needs of the companies within the current market, the labour relationships between companies and employees have evolved.

Currently, labour relationships are known for:

• The presence of different temporary contracting modalities.
• The flexibility of working hours adapted to the company's needs.
• The coexistence of periods of employment and unemployment during the labour life of the employees.

EMPLOYMENT DEPOSITS

Employment deposits are new jobs that arise in certain activities sector as a consequence of the emergence of new needs in our society.

These employment deposits are associated to labour markets with a great potential growth that were with either inexistent, such as the new information and communications technologies, or underdeveloped markets, such as jobs related to the care of persons.

Currently the following professional areas have a potential for the generation of jobs:

• Home services: due to the ageing of the population and the incorporation of women to the labour world, there will be an increase of companies dedicated to taking care of persons, home deliveries of food and other products, home company services, catering services or services for the care of pets, plants, etc. A new law for citizens has recently been established in the entire Nations, by means of the "Law for the promotion of personal autonomy and attention to dependant persons", which guarantees the attention and care of dependant persons, such as elderly persons and severely disabled persons.
• Child care: employment can be found for the same reasons as the previous point; these jobs consist in employment at babysitter agencies, nurseries, etc.
• Information and communications technologies: the constant changes at a technological level lead to the need of employing more personnel at companies that supply computers, fax machines, mobile phone companies, information control consultants...
• Aid to youngsters with insertion difficulties: as a consequence of problems caused by school failure, immigration, youth unemployment, etc.
• Housing improvements: companies dedicated to restoring buildings, construction, selling DIY materials...
• Security systems: companies that manufacture anti-theft labels and badges, identification and location mechanisms for persons, security agencies and consultants ...
• Local public transport: these companies need to adapt to the new circumstances and must incorporate new technologies.
• Community commerce: sandwich deliveries, sales of precooked meals and exotic food, specialised bookshops...
• Tourism and local cultural development: tourist guides, signposting of routes, country cottages, etc.
• Audiovisual sector: companies that create interactive videos, image processors, tailor-made computer software, etc.
• Use of public town spaces.
• Revaluation of cultural heritage.
• Environment: waste treatment, water management, regulation and control of contamination, etc.

PROFILE OF THE EMPLOYEE

Companies value positively those job candidates that fulfil the following requirements:

• Schedule and location availability.
• Involvement with the company's aim and images.
• Versatility and adaptability.
• Motivation to carry out lifelong training.
• Self-confidence.
• Responsibility and dynamism.
• Capacity for team-working.
• Initiative and capacity to make predictions.