MORE employers are now hiring based on skills rather than educational and professional achievements due to “accelerated” changes in the labor market, according to a new study from online professional network LinkedIn.
In its “Future of Recruiting” report, LinkedIn said employers are now giving more consideration to skills when considering potential recruits as a way to measure how well they will adapt to new job requirements.
“For a long time, companies hired candidates primarily based on what they studied in school, where they worked previously, or the years of experience they have. In recent years, however, this has started to change, driven by the fast pace of technological innovations and accelerated rate change in the skills required for the same job,” LinkedIn said.
In the Philippines, LinkedIn said the skills to do any particular job have changed by 31 percent on average since 2015. It noted this rate could go as high as 48 percent by 2025.
Employers are banking on the “skills-first” approach to boost their global competitiveness.
“Globally, recruiters today are 25 percent more likely to search for candidates based on skills than they were just three years ago, and more than 50 percent of recruiters are more likely to search for skills than by years of experience,” LinkedIn said.
“In Southeast Asia, more recruiters are prioritizing skills-based hiring (89 percent) and reskilling their employees (87 percent),” it added.
Aside from technical skills, recruiters are also on the lookout for the soft skills of applicants, which include communication, relationship-building, adaptability, business acumen, and problem-solving.
With the new trend, applicants, particularly those from Southeast Asia, are now also putting in more jobs, which will provide them with “opportunities to learn new skills, advancement opportunities and career growth.”